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Elgin youth urges interrupting bullying early in tie to domestic violence during council's awareness proclamation
Summary
A 17-year-old Bastrop County Youth Advisory Board president told council about the Stop It Before It Starts campaign, describing how subtle bullying behaviors can escalate into abusive adult relationships; the remarks accompanied the council's proclamation recognizing domestic violence and bullying-prevention month.
Nell Salinas, a 17-year-old high school junior and president of the Bastrop County Youth Advisory Board, addressed Elgin City Council during the Sept. 16 meeting to connect bullying-prevention work with domestic-violence prevention. Salinas described a sequence of subtle behaviors'mocking gestures, belittling remarks, and undermining confidence'that she said can erode a young person's sense of judgment and later normalize controlling behavior in romantic relationships.
Salinas gave classroom examples and personal narratives about peers she labeled "Jordan," "Lily," and "Sophie" to show how repeated social undermining can escalate from bullying to psychological abuse in dating. She cited National Institute of Justice findings that 20% to 30% of youth report psychological abuse in dating relationships annually, and that roughly 1 in 10 teens experience physical abuse in those relationships; she also said bystanders who interrupt early patterns can alter outcomes.
Why it matters: The remarks came during council's proclamation recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Bullying Prevention Month and highlighted a local campaign, Stop It Before It Starts, run by the Family Crisis Center. Salinas urged community interventions'teacher support, peer interruption and family engagement'to prevent escalation.
City action: Council adopted a proclamation designating October as domestic-violence awareness and bullying-prevention month and encouraged residents and institutions to engage in prevention activities. The mayor read statistics and urged residents to join Family Crisis Center efforts.
Follow-up: The Family Crisis Center and local youth groups are running outreach and educational events; council and staff mentioned related library and Parks & Rec programming on the agenda for the fall.
