FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                               CONTACT: Justin Meyers
October 30, 2007                                                                  (516)869-7794

NORTH HEMPSTEAD HOSTS CONFERENCE FOR STUDENTS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE

New Hyde Park, NY– North Hempstead marked National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by sponsoring a special program for high school peer leaders and their advisors on Thursday, October 25, at Clinton G. Martin Park. The program, sponsored by Supervisor Jon Kaiman’s Committee Against Family Violence, focused on violence-related issues that concern high school students.

“I want to thank the Committee, co-chaired by Town Clerk Leslie Gross and Deena Lesser, for once again sponsoring this event,” Kaiman said. “This program not only helps students, it helps the community as a whole. It is imperative that every young adult understand the issues revolving relationship violence and the only way to do this is through continuing education.”

North Hempstead’s many school districts were well represented at the conference. Joining forces with the Town in conducting the program were the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Child Abuse Prevention Society. During the program, participants broke into 4 individual sessions covering subjects that included Relationship Violence, Date Rape, “Girl Talk” and Sexual Harassment.

Students were given the opportunity to attend 2 workshops each, and facilitators for each of the groups were provided by NCCADV and CAPS.

The Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence is the County’s only provider of comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and/or rape/sexual assault, and has been providing presentations about healthy relationships, dating violence and date rape to students throughout Nassau County. CAPS is a Roslyn-based organization which for the last 25 years has been dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and bully and peer harassment with extensive experience working in school settings.