My beloved Asia came into this world on June 30, 1983. As we approach her would be 28th Birthday, and learning that mother’s love never dies, I look back over these past seven years. I’ve experienced both personal and spiritual growth and development, out of necessity. Most importantly I’ve seen growth of the Asia Adams Save OUR Children Foundation and OUR impact on the more than 5000 youth served since we began in April 2005. Over the last three decades a combination of professional experience gained in Health, Public Health, Child Behavioral Health, and Child Welfare, combined with personal life experience and observations have been the breeding grounds for the work we’ve been providing. An examination of the data, literature, and contributing risk and community factors has influenced my understanding of the insidiousness and pervasiveness of Teen Dating Violence (TDV). While in the general population there have been an increasing number of teens who are victims of TDV, when factors of poverty and race enter, rates increase substantially in African American communities (as much as 4 times the general population). In 2009, 17.3% of Philadelphia public high school students were victims of dating violence, compared to 9.6% in Pennsylvania (statewide) and 9.8% nationally.[1]
Through these years I’ve observed a severe lack of evidence-based curriculum to effectively address the needs of urban Philadelphia teens in low income African American communities. Programs based on rural white teens in Iowa, is not effective for urban Philadelphians. While teens are more vulnerable, the result of their youthful innocence combined with greater risk factors of poverty, residence in high crime communities we must effectively address this emerging teen public health problem. We recognized a need for added research to develop a quality evidence-based program that works. In October 2010 Asia’s Foundation submitted a research abstract and poster to the Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center (PCVC) a collaboration of Philadelphia’s most noted institutions including Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel School of Public Health to name a few.. Our submission was awarded a research partnership with the Center for Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania. In July 2011, under Penn’s guidance we will begin researching factors of economics in Teen Dating Violence (TDV). Currently little data exists. This portion of the Love Speak for ME TDV project, known as Money-Power-Respect in TDV will take place over the next year until June 2012. As part of this project we’ve assembled a talented and dynamic Youth Leadership Team consisting of eight (8) college students, the first of its kind to focus on TDV. Asia’s Foundation also had an essential role as a member of the State Wide Teen Dating Violence Team, in response to a Center for Disease (CDC) grant awarded the Commonwealth Health Department. We collaborated with Women against Abuse, Women in Transition, Women Organized against Rape, among others to finalize a plan for Philadelphia teens, now submitted to the CDC. With University of Pennsylvania, Asia’s Foundation provided focus group training to State team members and organized one of the largest teen focus group in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Crucial feedback was obtained to begin implementation of effective evidence based prevention programming and information. We fully realize culturally sensitive programming is needed. At Asia’s Foundation we’ve committed our existence to identifying and resolving these needs. When looking into the eyes of a teen and they light up with increased understanding, I say as others have said, “Asia would be proud of OUR work. As Asia stated in one of her most creative poems “In the end it will not be the voice of my enemy-but those who love me, they will speak for me.” I can honestly say we love OUR future generations of children and teens, and will always speak and work towards preserving their health.
