Ellenville/Saugerties, N.Y.– County Executive Mike Hein recognized and congratulated the winners of Ulster County’s 2nd Annual Teen Dating Violence Video Contest at Ellenville High School and Saugerties High School. The Teen Dating Violence Video Contest Committee was formed as a subcommittee of the Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence with the goal to raise awareness about the national issue of teen dating violence. The contest encouraged students to produce creative short informative videos that identified signs of unhealthy or abusive relationships, while including local domestic violence resources. This year there were three high schools who participated; Ellenville, Saugerties and Wallkill, submitting over twenty videos.
There was a tie for first place between two student videos: 10th grade student Andrew Lamendola and 12th grade students Edgar Saravia, Tatiana Cruz, and James W. Cromwell, Jr. from Ellenville High School. The second place winner was 10th grade student Allyson Voerg and third place winners were 11th grade students Sissy Martinez and Kaina Gil from Saugerties High School. WallKill High School 12th grade student Jessica Esposito received Honorable Mention. All three schools had extensive student participation and had teachers that acted as media coordinators who worked with all of the student participants: Tim Lukaszewski from Ellenville High School, Scott Wickham and Jackie Hayes from Saugerties High School, and Amanda Murphy from Wallkill High School.
To congratulate contest winners and participants, County Executive Hein presented the students with certificates while members of the Teen Dating Violence Video Contest Committee presented the winners with gift cards thanks to the Ulster County Police Chiefs Association. Ellenville Police Chief Philip Mattracion attended the Ellenville High School event while Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra attended the Saugerties High School recognition.
“We are fortunate to have so many high school students with such creative talents and I appreciate their participation in raising awareness of the national issue of teen dating violence through their amazing videos,” said County Executive Mike Hein. “I want to thank the students and their dedicated teachers, as well as the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence for their focus on this important topic. Teen dating violence is a serious issue that affects many young adults and statistics show that one of three teens experiences some kind of abuse in their dating relationships. It is our hope that some of these videos will be seen by their peers and raise awareness of the signs of an unhealthy relationship and direct teens to the resources that are available if they find themselves in or observing an abusive situation. One of the many resources here in Ulster County is our Crime Victims Assistance Program and they can be reached through their 24 hotline number at 845-340-3442.”
Michael Iapoce, Ulster County Commissioner of Social Services and Chair of the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence
"The Council is encouraged and impressed by the level and participation and quality of submissions generated by this year's Teen Dating Violence Video Contest,” said Michael Iapoce, Ulster County Commissioner of Social Services and Chair of the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence. “The students entries once again showed us their willingness and interest to use their creative talents to communicate information to their peers about teen dating violence and how to seek help and find support with this serious issue in their schools and our community."
Lydia Diaz, Educator at the Ulster County Crime Victims’ Assistance Program, Member of the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence
“Teen dating violence prevention is a priority at Crime Victims; the fact that it is often under-reported makes it even more important that we raise awareness about the issue,” said Lydia Diaz, Educator at the Ulster County Crime Victims’ Assistance Program and Member of the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence. “Thanks to the ongoing support of County Executive Hein, the Domestic Violence Council will continue to host this contest highlighting the talents of our High School students. The response to this year’s contest exceeded our expectations once again.”
Joseph Sinagra, Saugerties Police Chief, Member of the Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence
“Without the support of County Executive Hein, this endeavor would not have come to fruition,” said Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra. “We have a County Executive that is not only concerned about domestic violence in the adult population, but is further committed to seeing that teen dating violence is also addressed.”
Philip Mattracion, Village of Ellenville Police Chief and Ellenville School Board Member
“I want to thank and commend the Ellenville students for not being silent about the important pressing problem of teen dating violence,” said Village of Ellenville Police Chief Philip Mattracion. “In speaking to the students, I quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: `faith is taking that first step even though you don't see the staircase.´ I also reminded the students that in the final analysis King said, `your life begins to end the first day you stay silent about things that matter.´ I am very proud of the work that the Ellenville students are doing in bringing awareness to the silent epidemic of teen dating violence.”
Lisa A. Wiles, Superintendent of Ellenville Central School District
“We are so very proud of our students and the extraordinary videos they produced,” said Lisa A. Wiles, Superintendent of the Ellenville Central School District. “They’ve helped shine a light on dating violence, a very real danger facing teens today, and their videos may in fact inspire a teen in an abusive relationship to seek help.”
Seth Turner, Superintendent of Saugerties Central School District
“I am very proud of all of our students who participated in creating videos to help raise awareness of the serious issue of teen dating violence. I am particularly impressed with the second place winner, Allyson Voerg, and third place winners, Sissy Martinez and Kaina Gil,” said Seth Turner, Superintendent of Saugerties Central School District. “I am pleased we were able to participate for the second year in the County’s contest and I appreciate County Executive Hein taking time to come to Saugerties High School and recognize the hard work and talents of our students. I’d also like to thank Mr. Wickham and Ms. Hayes for including this as part of their Computer Video Production courses.”
Some of the statistics regarding teen dating violence are as follows:
- Girls and women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence
- 1 in 3 high school girls is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner
- 1 in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide, and violent behavior.
You can help a friend or family member in an abusive relationship by:
- Being supportive and patient, and listening. It’s important that the victim expresses their feelings in a non-judgmental environment.
- Let them know you are worried about them or that you are concerned for their safety.
- Provide them with the appropriate information for resources that can help them (hotline numbers are listed below).
Teen Dating Violence and Domestic Violence Resources in Ulster County:
- Family of Woodstock 24-Hour Hotline (845) 338-2370, www.familyofwoodstockinc.org
- Crime Victims’ Assistance Program 24-Hour Hotline (845) 340-3442 www.ulstercountyny.gov/cvap
- Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (845) 331-9373 www.lshv.org
National and State Teen Dating Violence and Domestic Violence Resources:
- National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline 1 -866- 331-9474
- NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence 1-800-942-6906 (English & Spanish) http://www.opdv.ny.gov
The Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence gathers together organizations that serve domestic violence victims to provide seamless delivery of services throughout Ulster County. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ucdomesticviolencecouncil. The winning videos from Saugerties High School and Ellenville High School can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/user/UlsterCountyExec.
