College Brides Walk

Vital Stats

Stephanie W

Fort Lauderdale, FL

people helped5000
People Doing It 50

The Problem

The idea behind the Brides Walk is to inspire youth to stop the violence and to promote healthy relationships. Unfortunately violence in the home is becoming a trend in our society. Many kids I know get involved in intimate relationships and then end up hurting eachother either physically or emotionally. Since many teens are growing up in violent homes they are learning a behavior that is out of the norm and illegal. Although sometimes they may not act out against an intimate partner they may act out in the form of bullying. The intent of the Walk is to give them a visual sing of peace. The wedding gown symbolizes family and commitment. The story of Gladys Ricart touches people because she was killed on her wedding day by an ex-boyfriend. The Walk is used to empower people living in silence like Gladys was. To let their voices be heard, to share their fears and to make everyone aware of the violence. We also want to offer solutions to the youth learning this type of behavior in order to give them other options to unlearn that behavior. We want our youth to break the cycle of violence and find new alternatives. The Walk is the beginning of a movement to help youth change the world.

Plan of Action

The plan of action is to have a Brides Walk every year to bring attention to the cause. We also want to set up a fund to provide college students who are experiencing domestic violence emergency financial funds to buy a new cell or to relocate. Lastly, we want to be able to provide workshops in local high schools and college campuses to talk about healthy relationships and to teach our youth how to break the cycle of violence.