Reblogged from talinorfali:

Reblogged from Visions of Sisterhood:

Visions of Sisterhood would like to take the time to congratulate at those young people who are graduating.  Whether you are graduating from elementary school, from middle school, from high school, or from college it is great accomplishment. The future is yours and the decisions you make now will affect your futures.  As I sat in on the senior graduation at the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine I saw so many beautiful and hopeful faces.  I could not have been prouder of those young people.  In total the class received over 7 million dollars in scholarships.  So those who were not sure they could go to college were given the opportunity.  By working with doctors and professors from Case Western Reserve, Metro Health Medical Center, and Cleveland Clinic these young people were given a chance to make their dreams come true.  All across America young people are feeling a sense of accomplishment right now.  They have gotten to this place in their lives with hard work and dedication.  I can speak for the entire Visions of Sisterhood organization when I say again, Congratulations!! You deserve all that life has to offer to you.  We wish you all the best.   Continue on your journey and never give up even when times get a little rough.  Turn those people who help keep you on your path, that help motivate you, and believe in you.

S.M. DeLoach

Communicating through mobile devices is convenient and fun at times however, sometimes our mobile communication can be deadly.  When someone’s focus is on their phone conversation or texting, reaction time is slowed and can result in injury or loss of life.  In a report by Fox News 25 in Boston, Massachusetts, teen Aaron Deveau, 17 at the time of the incident is on trial accused of making a deadly decision.   Mr. Deveau was texting at the time he was driving and hit another vehicle.  The person in that vehicle later died.  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in this age group.  Previous studies have suggested that cell phone use kills and injure thousands of people a year.  According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 “driver distraction was the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes that means 5,800 people were killed.”  Too many people are dying because the need to talk on cell phones and text.

What can we do?

• Talk to your teen about the dangers of using a cell phone will driving
• Give clear instruction not to use cell phones while driving, in the event of an emergency advise your teen to pull over, bring the vehicle to a complete stop, and then make a call.
• Parents believe that our children learn from our behavior so if you instruct them not to use a cell phone while driving please do the same.  If you lead by example they will learn from you.

Teens choosing to ignore parents instruction regarding the dangers of cell phone can result in death.  Whoever is calling or texting you can wait until you reach your destination. 

Reblogged from Teachsafety:

Reblogged from The Bedroom Door.:

Whilst the majority of us get up each day, get dressed and go to work to earn a living, Women all over Ireland are waking up each day to face another day of torture, another day of being degraded, another day of being ‘Raped for a Living’. These are the words used to describe the life of one of Ireland's children who were forced into prostitution.

Read more… 339 more words

If you want to view the story please click on the following link.  Mom Admits Burning Son’s Genitals With Iron

I just wanted to take this time and say thank you for your continued support.  VOS has been working to not only make this blog better but we have been working on the organization to make a continued difference in the lives of those we come across.  In 2007, VOS started as an organization to help young girls cross into adulthood in a positive way despite any obstacles they may have come across in their lives.   As we evolved we have managed to tackle many of the obstacles that can impact our young people.  On this blog we talk about whatever is on the minds of the writers that gear towards awareness to issues in society.  We talk about the good, the bad, and the in-between.  I hope that you enjoy the topics and please feel free to comment, participate in the polls, and view the videos.   Thanks again for your support.

Meka Holcomb

By taking charge and protecting yourself you show how much you love Y.O.U.  Many people in our lives will say they love you and care about you but that love and care can be backed up with action.  If a boyfriend says he loves you but continually asks you do something your not comfortable with is that love?  No one will try to make you do anything you don’t want to do and no one will continually try to break down that NO and turn it into a YES.  You can say you love yourself and do things that show that you don’t for instance, participating in unprotected sex.  Do you honestly think you love yourself while putting your well-being at risk?

You can take charge and protect yourself by:

• Getting tested for HIV and make sure any partner or partners you have do the same.  Did you know that one in five Americans is living with HIV and they do not know it.
• If you choose to have sex USE protection, please practice safe sex.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions.  Talk your doctor or a counselor about any questions you may have education is the difference between knowing and not knowing.  Take the information to friends and talk to them about how they can protect themselves.

If you want to know where you can get tested go to hivtest.org.  REMEMBER:  TAKE CHARGE AND PROTECT YOURSELF LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO DO IT.

I made a difference by changing the way parents and teachers look at children’s safety education. Since 1994  I have spoken to over 100,000 Children and their parents through my safety series in elementary schools, and have published a book to guide parents to give their children a simple , evolving plan that they can tailor to their family , or if a teacher to their class. My blog, teachsafety is based on some of lessons from my book.

What Should You Do? Helping Children Protect Themselves in the Twenty-First Century by Melinda Reynolds Tripp Tate Publishing 2010  Available from Tate, bookstores or on Amazon
is based on my 1994 series of Abduction Prevention and Situational Safety Education Series.
I would love to have you follow me as I continue my journey toward every parent and teacher
Teaching a safety curriculum, empowering the nation’s children toward a safer generation.
Safety for children is my passion, blogging is new,  If you have any thoughts on marketing strategies, I am always pleased to hear from people as passionate as I am .  I am grateful to the many people around the nation helping me push for standards for situational safety education for all children.

Melinda Tripp