LAGUNA HILLS After being in a nine-month relationship that included name-calling and controlling behavior Morgan Berschauer realized that what was happening with her boyfriend wasn't normal.
"I realized the way he was treating me wasn't normal," Berschauer, 18, said. "I realized that there wasn't something wrong with me but with my relationship. I broke up with my boyfriend and found Laura's House. I learned about the red flags and warning signs of abuse."
Laguna Hills High senior Morgan Berschauer, 18, left, says she was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend of nine months. Her mom Felicia of Laguna Hills encouraged her daughter to break up. Berschauer wanted the city council to recognized her Miss Laguna Hills Teen OC title, which she got three years ago, so she'd be able to wear the crown and sash to various activites. She'll be speaking at a candlelight vigil Friday at Laura's House retail store, Lake Forest, to bring awareness to teen dating violence. National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week runs Feb. 2-6.
CINDY YAMANAKA THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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On Friday Berschauer, who in January competed as Miss Laguna Hills in the Miss California Teen USA pageant in Palm Dessert, will be a featured speaker at a candlelight vigil planned in Lake Forest at Laura's House Resale Boutique. The event is being held to create awareness of teen dating violence.
Since volunteering at Laura's House, Berschauer has started a H.E.A.R.T Club at Laguna Hills High School. Annually, Laura's House provides its H.E.A.R.T. program to more than 3,000 Orange County teens at local high schools, junior colleges and other youth facilities. The program helps teens become educated on healthy relationships and appropriate conflict resolution skills. Laura's House also has a website designed to assist teens who are seeking information on healthy relationships. Teens can go to laurashouse.org/lhteen.
"When I found this amazing charity it, and the people who work so hard for it, it changed my life," She said. "Now I am doing anything I can to help raise awareness and educate for their HEART program. What they do does work. It takes incredible generosity, dedication, and time to accomplish what they have so far, and I am hoping to add to their accomplishments."
In an interview with the Register, Berschauer talks about her club and the importance of the awareness of violence in teen dating.
Q. You started the H.E.A.R.T Club at Laguna Hills High, why was that something that was important to you?
A. This club is something extremely important to me and I feel that every high-schooler should be, at some point, required to learn about teen dating abuse.
Q. How many members do you have? Is the club well-received at the school?
A. There are 57 members signed up to be in the club at our school's club rush towards the beginning of the school year. This club both is, and is not, received well. Some people are grateful for it, others tend to ignore it completely.
Q. How common is teen dating violence? What are some of the scenarios you've come across?
A. One in four teens is a victim of teen dating abuse. Some scenarios I have come across are those of mental and emotional abuse, all the way to physical beatings and stabbings ending in death.
Q. What role does exposure to family domestic violence play in teen dating?
A. If you do not have a good example of what a healthy relationship looks like, all you know is abuse and you see nothing wrong with it. Then you believe that it is normal. If a young adult, male or female, is exposed to family domestic violence their likelihood of being abuse in a teen dating relationship may go up.
Q. What do you hope others take from your own story?
A. I am not only an advocate for the education and prevention of teen dating abuse, but I am a survivor and educator myself. I feel that sharing my story with others will help them to leave an abusive relationship, look for the warning signs, warn their friends, and keep educating to prevent this terrible situation from happening to anyone else.
The event will be held in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and starts at 6 p.m. at 23635 El Toro Road.
Contact the writer: 949-454-7307 or eritchie@ocregister.com
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/teen-338602-dating-club.html
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