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The youth of Spangdahlem Air Base participated in a Rock Garden Painting and Planting event here at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, Feb. 20, 2020.
The idea behind the event is to raise awareness of healthy relationships and to help kids recognize what healthy relationships and friendships look like. Children from around the installation were welcomed into the Spangdahlem teen center to discuss different relationship topics and began painting positive messages on the rocks provided by the teen center staff.
“This event was a way for us to promote healthy relationships and not only show the kids what a healthy relationship is but to listen to what they feel a healthy relationship is supposed to be,” said Kristi Hernandez, 52nd Medical Group domestic abuse victim advocate. “This type of event starts conversations that are important to the growth of teens and preteens.”
The youth were asked questions pertaining to peer pressure, bullying, different types of abuse, and respect to give them an idea of what to be aware of when searching for, or being a part of, a relationship.
“We want to make the kids aware of what relationships should be like and get them to understand how important it is to surround themselves with positive people,” said Ginny Wescott, 52nd Fighter Wing violence prevention integrator. “More than half of people who have been physically or sexually abused, or stalked by a dating partner, experience it between the ages of 11-24; therefore it is very important to us that we make the kids aware of this, and help them think about the resources they have at their disposal.”
After the kids were done painting the rocks and letting them dry, they took the rocks outside to be placed in a rock garden. The rocks are meant to encourage all who read them to stay positive and engage in healthy relationships and friendships.
“We wanted the kids to be able to come to the rock garden after a bad day, see a rock that resonates with them and take that rock to cheer them up,” said Wescott. “They can keep that rock until they feel better and bring it back for someone else, or keep the rock forever and create another rock to replace it in the garden. This way they know they are not alone and that others care about them and what they are going through.”
Visit The Spangdahlem family advocacy facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpangdahlemFAP/ to learn more information on this event and to see upcoming events like this.
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2020 05:32 |
| Story ID: | 363989 |
| Location: | RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Rock garden event at Spangdahlem teen center a success, by SSgt Jovante Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
