PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

January 30, 2013

SCCADVASA to Host Youth Leadership Summit in Columbia February 1-2, 2013

The SCCADVASA Youth Leadership Project will utilize the powerful impact peers have on adolescent development by empowering a select group of youth leaders to train their peers on healthy relationships, respect, and preventing interpersonal violence.  The project will kick off this Friday with a two-day statewide Youth Leadership Summit. Following the initial summit, youth leaders will participate in four one-day regional trainings, and will then go on to educate and empower peers in their communities.

The Verizon Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) to create a Youth Leadership Project, aimed at preventing teen dating violence.

“For well over a decade Verizon has been a champion to nonprofits providing support, relief and resources to survivors of domestic violence. Verizon is pleased to partner with SCCADVASA as they continue to be prevention leaders in the community and engaging teens and young adults is such an important piece of breaking the cycle” said Julie Smith, vice president of external affairs, Verizon. Recently, the Verizon Foundation launched a domestic violence awareness campaign that seeks to engage and empower men to speak up and be part of the solution to end the violence. For more information visit www.verizonfoundation.org/yourvoicecounts.

The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company's innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, health care and energy management. Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.2 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities. For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit www.verizonfoundation.org; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

SCCADVASA is a network of the 22 sexual assault and domestic violence advocacy programs across South Carolina.  This Youth Leadership Project it is a part of SCCADVASA’s Primary Prevention Project, SC Says No More, which exists to bring an end to sexual assault and domestic violence through education, collaboration, and awareness.

To find out how you can help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence, visit SCCADVASA at www.sccadvasa.org/scsaysnomore or www.facebook.com/SCCADVASA.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Williams-Agee at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (803) 256-2900.