Hundreds of teens and families are coming together at this year’s #RespectFEST Sunday.
#RespectFEST is held annually and hosted by The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Police, State’s Attorney’s Office, Family Justice Center, and MCPS.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, one in three teens experience dating abuse. #RespectFEST aims to teach them what a healthy relationship looks like. The end goal is by educating young adults early on, they will know the warning signs to look out for and how to help a friend. The annual festival started April 10th and the seminars focused on topics such as dating violence and consent.
The festival will also announce the winners of the Choose Respect Video Contest! Top prize is $1000. Daniela Martinez is a Student Video Contest Finalist. Her video is called “Broken Pieces.” @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/XOSoJG0ijD
— Cheyenne Corin ✨ (@CheyenneCorin) April 14, 2023
The big in-person event this Sunday is a family friendly event including performances, free food, yoga and self-defense demos, and a resource fair. The winners of the Choose Respect Video Content also will be announced. This year there were more than 300 submissions. The top prize in $1,000 and MCPS students can earn up to 8 SSL hours by participating.
The event is Sunday April 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center.
