Love Shouldn't Hurt - Grace Smith House Bringing Awareness to Teen Dating Violence

Student members of the Grace Smith House United Peer Council at the sixth annual “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” conference on March 11, 2019.

High school students from 10 different Dutchess County school districts recently attended Grace Smith House’s seventh annual “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” conference on Monday, March 9, 2020. The daylong event brought students together at Dutchess Community College for interactive workshops and discussions on breaking the cycle of teen dating violence.

“The Love Shouldn’t Hurt conference gives students and staff a space to learn and gain knowledge about dating violence and resources available to young adults in the community,” said Grace Smith House Community Educator Megan Bajana. 

School staff participate in a discussion about teen dating violence at Grace Smith House’s sixth annual “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” conference on March 11, 2019.

Across the nation, 1 in 3 teens will experience emotional, physical, verbal or sexual violence while in a relationship. Teenagers who experience dating violence are at greater risk of experiencing domestic violence in adulthood.

About 170 students and staff from the Arlington, Beacon, Dover, Hyde Park, Pine Plains, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Wappingers and Webutuck districts, along with Dutchess BOCES, attended this year’s conference.

The conference is generously funded through a Henry Nias Foundation grant. Speakers included Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Senator Sue Serino.

The nonprofit Grace Smith House provides residential and nonresidential services to victims of domestic violence and their children in Dutchess County. For more information, to seek help or advice, visit www.gracesmithhouse.org or call the 24-hour hotline at (845) 471-3033.