Watching Amy's Story

Last night I watched an intriguing documentary called Telling Amy’s Story. It involves a woman who was murdered by her abusive husband from a prolonging physical and emotional relationship. As I watched the movie, I had an entity of mixed emotions since I am versed in the signs of domestic violence. It was difficult for me to understand why no one assisted Amy along the way. The most frustrating part is that I couldn’t help her and that I just had to sit there to witness the ending results. After a discussion about it with friends and having a night to sleep on it, I have a better understating of the documentary. I was able to take two steps back and visualize myself as the victim or a friend of Amy’s the documentary as a whole is very good and I took a lot away from it.  There are new signs that I learned about that I would’ve never been able to notify; I would’ve thought that it was just young love. I think everyone should see this documentary because it is a good learning tool to learn about signs of domestic violence and a lesson to my generation about making a “happy ending” in such a torturous, series of unfortunate events. MUST SEE GO WATCH NOW!!!

 Thanks,

Jordan Ferguson

To learn more about Telling Amy's Story visit the official website.

Using My Voice for Change

Jenesse Center Youth Leader Bryson Rouzan-Thomas and his group The Change will be hosting their second annual Youth Conversations in collaboration with Jenesse Center's BeSo You! program. Below Bryson talks about his experience with Jenesse in his own words.

A couple weeks ago, I had a chance to volunteer at Jenesse's third annual 'Camp Jenesse', a summer camp that I co-founded with Ariel Gilliam and Angela Parker in the summer of 2009. Angela Parker has done a fascinating job in promoting the camp and enriching the goal/purpose of why it was founded; creating the "summer of a lifetime" for the Jenesse children. My day of service had a theme which involved incorporating music and helping children find "the art within them". Unbeknownst to me, something so little affected me so greatly. Sitting watching the kids play "Dance Freeze", listening to Katy Perry's "Firework", everything came together. 

"You don't have to feel like a waste of space

You're original, cannot be replaced

If you only knew what the future holds

After a hurricane comes a rainbow

 Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed

So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow

And when it's time, you'll know"

It seems so cliché, yet when you think about it, the message of being yourself and boosting your confidence fits so perfectly. The idea of igniting the light within you and showing the world who are you are and what your capabilities consist of. I write this email out of inspiration. I have been inspired to do good within my community which is why I strive to be the best role model I can be whether I am around my peers, Jenesse families, or even strangers. Each person has the ability to give back; to use their voice for "the greater good". I use my voice to be an agent of change for my generation. The greatest reward I have received is the ability to see the hearts that have been touched because of the precious time donated to acknowledge the spark in each child; to prove that someone really is listening.

I even had the chance to sit down with "The Change" last week and view "Telling Amy's Story"; a documentary about Amy, a former Verizon employee who lost her life due to an emotionally and physically abusive husband (this will be shown at our upcoming Youth Conversations 2011). Originally, I did not think that the group would be interested in the movie, however, I saw an array of emotions that followed with an abundance of questions and an extended conversation. This proved that the time to "break the silence" is over. Our generation is ready. Are you?

I use my voice to help our next generation identify their qualities and to embrace their weaknesses. I am the change. I am hope. So are you.

Truly Yours,

Bryson Rouzan-Thomas


The George Washington University '15
The Change Executive Director
Youth Conversations Chair

Frenemies --- When Friendships Become Unhealthy

Sometimes we are so focused on our romantic relationships that we don't take stock of how healthy our other relationships are. This seems to be especially true in our friendships in which the people we count on for support are often times the people who are trying to sabotage us. This type of love/hate relationship has been dubbed having a frenemy and has gained a type of coolness factor in popular culture. But it it really alright to have toxic people in your life? Dr. Irene S. Levine, Professor of Psychology at NYU Langone School of Medicine, defines a frenemy as “someone with whom you have an ambivalent friendship.” According to Levine, who has been called “The Friendship Doctor” by the Huffington Post and PsychologyToday.com, “the person seems to be a friend, but then has periodic or frequent lapses in behavior that are antagonistic or undermining.”

Frenemies make themselves known if you really pay attention to them. We’ve all heard their catty remarks:

“You’re going to eat all of that?”
“You just started studying for the History exam? I started three weeks ago.”
“I thought you said you were working out!”
“I mean, I don’t think he’s attractive but I guess you like guys like that.”

We come across these types of friendships throughout their lives: In pre-school, it’s the girl/boy who befriends you just so he/she can play with your brand new toy. In middle school, he/she slips love letters in your crush’s locker. In high school, he/she was secretly pleased when you didn’t get into the college of your dreams.

“I think we live in a very competitive culture in which (we) are expected to excel and achieve in multiple areas of life. We’re supposed to be extremely attractive, successful in our careers and our personal lives,” says Lucinda Rosenfeld author of  I’m So Happy for You: A Novel About Best Friends on frenemies and the love/hate relationships that we create with our female friends.  “It creates a lot of pressure and I think some of that pressure ends up getting passed on to our friends and especially those friends with whom we’ve never felt entirely secure.”

So what do you do when a friend reveals herself to be a frenemy? 

• Let go gradually --- "If your frenemy is bringing you down, you don’t deserve it. It’s time to get rid of him/her. If he/she keeps making mistakes and you see that the friendship has no redeeming qualities, you have to break it off,” says Lavinthal.“(But) before you dump someone or try to mutually end a friendship, you need to do so cautiously because there’s no going back,” says Levine. "Downgrade the friendship so you become more of a casual aquantiance."
• Evaluate the situation ---  Was this a one-time thing or has this person let you down on numerous occasions? Have you been communicating clearly? How will this break-up affect your mutual friends?

 What if I Am the Frenemy?

• Take a step back and examine the situation. Remember that this is an important time in our lives to make lasting friendships. It’s not too late to change.
• Consider why you’ve been acting like a frenemy, and whether this is someone whom you would like to be a real friend to instead.

So, appreciate the good friends you have and put your time into those that create a positive energy in your life. Remember, you can always make new friends.

Based on Frenemies: When Friendships Become Toxic By Cassie Potler for Her Campus

Do We Glamorize Domestic Violence?

Singing sensation Rhianna and rapper Eminem's new hit "Love the Way You Lie" has many believing that the popular song and video makes domestic violence look like a normal part of any "passionate" relationship.




What do you think? Does music and music videos glamorize unhealthy relationships?

Deadly Intentions- When Rage and Anger Destroys Lives

Her teen cousin had it all - love, designer clothes, and fun gadgets - and she didn't.

So in a jealous rage, Tiana Browne killed the girl, stabbing 15-year-old Shannon Braithwaite more than 30 times, prosecutor Mark Hale said Wednesday in openings at a dramatic Brooklyn murder trial.

Browne's lawyer painted the now 17-year-old as a disturbed girl who had been repeatedly raped and was suffering severe post traumatic stress - not a cold calculating killer.

Read more here

Cyber-Bullying Causes Major Problems for Tweens and Teens

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cyber-bullying may be even harder on the victims than physical beatings or name-calling, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

And unlike traditional bullies, cyber-bullies seem to be less depressed than their prey, the team at the National Institutes of Health found.

Jing Wang, Tonja Nansel and Ronald Iannotti of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development analyzed data from an international survey from 2005/2006 that included 4,500 U.S. preteens and teens.

They were asked specifically about feelings of depression, irritability, grouchiness and ability to concentrate, and also asked specifically if they had been hit, called names, shunned or sent negative messages via computer or cell phone -- or done any of these things to other people.

Read more here

Saying No to Bullying

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy