Zerlina Maxwell writes in her recent article Stop Telling Women How to Not Get Raped in Ebony Magazine that

Holding women and girls accountable for preventing sexual assault hasn’t worked and so long as men commit the majority of rapes, men need to be at the heart of our tactics for preventing them.  Let’s stop teaching ‘how to avoid being a victim’ and instead, attack the culture that creates predators in the first place.

While I strongly agree that we need cultural change and to engage men in rape prevention, I think there is an important role for women’s empowerment in rape prevention. What do you think?

Many representatives of California Rape Crisis Centers attended the Town Hall on engaging men in Oakland

Last week the federal Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Housing and Urban Development hosted 10 regional Town Halls on Engaging Men and Boys in Eliminating Violence Against Women.  I had to opportunity to attend the session for Region IX held in Oakland, CA on October 27, 2011 where I moderated the session on engaging men. The results of these Town Halls will be shared with Vice President Joe Biden.

Over 100 people, including representatives of many California Rape Crisis Centers, attended this series of panels and opportunities for community feedback. My highlights included:

• Frank Blaney of Peace Over Violence, describing his work with MyStrength Clubs in Los Angeles. He also explained why he uses the term “young men” instead of “boys” in recognition that all the young men he works with aspire to be “men” and in acknowledgement of the racism where African-American males have been historically called boys regardless of the age.
• Jennifer Rauhouse of Peer Solutions from Phoenix, AZ, describe her top hints for everyone, including men, boys and young people, in the prevention of relationship violence. For example,

• We must view everyone as part of the solution, not the problem
• It is helpful to presume men, boys and young people care about preventing relationship violence, want to be included, do not wants someone they care about getting hurt and most likely have been harmed by relationship violence.

• Donna Garske of Center for Domestic Peace’s Transforming Communities describing how she sees “unlearning violence is a revolutionary and evolutionary process.”
• Ernest Brown describing the misuse of biblical fragments and the importance of men being active to prevent violence,, based on his experience with From Bruised and Battered to Blessed Ministries.
• Wilfred Brown of STAND for Families Free of Violence highlighting how over 200 men have been honored in the last 6 Men of Merit annual awards in Contra Costa County, CA.
• Mario Ozuna-Sanchez from the National Compadres Network describing the culturally relevant rites of passage and violence prevention work of El Joven Noble.
• Chic Dabby of the Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence calling for us to replace “relationships of power with relationships of meaning.” She reminded us not only raising young men to respect other, but also to become active in working with their communities to prevent violence.

If you attended one of these town halls, what where your highlights?

PreventConnect.org

Some of the most exciting prevention efforts are those taking place internationally. From South Africa to India to Brazil, I have seem tremendous ways to prevent gender based violence (which seems to be the term used outside the United States.) I believe that prevention efforts in the United States can learn from those efforts. For example, EngenderHealth is adapting Program H from Promundo‘s work in Brazil to work in school here in the States.

Check out this video of Andrew Levack of EngenderHealth discuss his presentation at the 2010 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting  “Addressing gender norms in schools in New York City and Los Angeles: Lesson from the adaptation of an evidence-based program in Brazil.”

The Summer 2011 Issue of Partners in Social Change features articles about engaging men in sexual violence prevention.

“Will men take action to prevent sexual violence?” That was a question I  heard when I started in this work almost 30 years ago when I was among very few men engaged in this work.

I have seen a remarkable change, especially in the last ten years.  Now activists and rape prevention organizations actively seek to engage men to prevent rape. Slowly, more and more men recognize that rape prevention is important work for men.

Since 2005 CALCASA’s MyStrength Campaign supports young men to stand up and speak out against sexual violence. Through that campaign and other efforts I see more men at trainings, web conferences, rallies and meetings.

Now the question has shifted to “How can we support men take action to prevent sexual violence?” There is a wide variety of great efforts and resources including Men Can Stop Rape, Young Men’s Work, A CALL TO MEN, Office on Violence Against Women’s Engaging Men Initiative, Coaching Boys into Men, and so many more.

The Summer 2011 issue of Partners in Social Change is another resource that focuses on engaging men to prevent sexual violence. Here is a description of the contents of this resource:

The notion that men need to be involved in ending gender-based violence is not new by any means, but we want to take a look at how we can genuinely involve men as part of a movement that benefits everyone. Our first article is written by a male in our movement who wishes to examine how socially constructed male privilege has shaped his own experiences and also examines how other men can be a part of this movement with sincerity. We already know that some men are involved in this work and have contributed greatly, but what about the larger groups of men that are not involved? Our next two articles examine groups of men that are sometimes excluded from our messaging: queer men and “Average Joe”. Finally, we learn from one of our community sexual assault programs in Washington about the process of engaging men in their community.

Partners in Social Change is a prevention journal from the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. Click here to see this issue.

MyStrength.org

Every year, hundreds of young men in high school are impacted by the work of MyStrength facilitators across California. As these young men graduate and grow into the next phase of their lives, their experiences in MyStrength help them to develop into emotionally healthy, respectful, compassionate agents of change among their peers and in their communities.

The address below was given by Takeo Rivera – Artists, Scholar, and Assault Prevention & Intervention Specialist for the YWCA Silicon Valley Rape Crisis Center - to his 2011 graduating MyStrength Club members.

To Dylan, Eddie, Alex, Alex, Vincent, Brandon, Brandon, Brian, Juan, Luis, Victor, Alejandro, Semaj, and Michael: I want to thank you. Thank you for the deep conversations, the laughs, the willingness to be vulnerable, the inspiration. Today is for you, to celebrate you, for me to convey my gratitude for you always being there for each other, for me, and for this crazy world we live in.

As I’ve told you all before, my job as a rape crisis advocate is not an easy one. Every day, I work with victims of sexual assault and their loved ones. Rape is a crime that can destroy lives and torture souls, and 97-99% of perpetrators are men. It is easy to get depressed in this line of work, to give up, to get cynical. Believe me, I’ve had my moments; some days you’d see me maybe totally exhausted or with bags under my eyes. But every time I’ve had MyStrength with you all, you’ve always hardened my resolve, given me the courage to keep going. You all show me that not all men are like those perpetrators, that change is possible, and that high school students can be more righteous and true than many adults I know.

Our motto in MyStrength has been “My Strength is not for hurting,” but because of all of you, I now know what my strength is for. MyStrength is for honesty. MyStrength is for trust. MyStrength is for redefining who we are as men and as human beings. MyStrength is for envisioning a just society, an equitable society, where women are free from fear and oppression, and men are free from being the wielders of violence. MyStrength is for peace. MyStrength is for empathy. MyStrength is for the courage to shed tears, to tell our stories, to do what’s right so we can look ourselves in the mirror without shame. MyStrength is for leadership. MyStrength is for critical thought. MyStrength is for family.

You have been my family this past year; for some of you, two years. We’ve had some excellent times together. I remember riding up to Stanford for our field trip, with Dylan, Mario, Tai, Alex, Ruben, and Nick representing in a very big way that night (and eating In-N-Out afterwards). The incredible gender symposium we had that Sunday evening for the video, not to mention Tai, Alex, and Juan doing an amazing presentation to the students at Davis Intermediate afterward. Filming Alejandro, Brian, and Kaelum was a blast, too – I loved how many times Brian and Kaelum kept stopping themselves and restarting. The craziness that was Flag Day this year – and I wanna point out Oak Grove for being particularly excited to hang out with HerStrength afterwards. And then Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes: Alejandro, Alex, Nick, and Ruben put on some amazing polka-dot heels to raise awareness in downtown San Jose, chanting our MyStrength

slogans and marching at the front of the procession, because you all were the face of what it means to be a male ally. You all made me so proud this year, and I hope you are just as proud of yourselves.

As you all know, this is my last year doing MyStrength, so just as you all are graduating from the program, so am I. When I think about leaving my job, MyStrength is the hardest part for me to let go of. Because of all of you and your incredible work, I will forever look back on MyStrength as a proud point of my career and of my life. And while I am leaving MyStrength and the YWCA, am not leaving this movement against violence that we all have worked so hard to help build. I will continue to devote myself towards the fight against oppression and inequality to the best of my abilities, and I hope – no, I know – that you all will do the same. It will not be easy, because fighting for justice rarely is. But it will be worth it, because fighting for justice always is. We probably will not see the end of rape, of sexism, of oppression, anytime in our lifetime; but our moral responsibility is to change what we can and to empower those around us to do the same, and it WILL matter, no matter how small that change is.

It has been a joy, an honor, to work with you fine young men. Thank you for letting me into your lives, and thank you for being such an integral part of mine. MyStrength is not for hurting.It is for you. Be you, and be the best you that you can be, because the world needs you. Now more than ever.

-Takeo Rivera

The National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Alianza) has released a position paper titled Working with Men & Boys to End Domestic Violence. Written by Dr. Julia Perilla, this paper describes the principles with which Alianza approaches working with men to end domestic violence.

Organizations like Alianza have taken the lead in articulating the need to engage men in the domestic violence and sexual violence movement. The paper calls for culturally specific work from an asset based approach

Latino cultures, as do other cultures, contain values, beliefs, and expectations that can be used to justify, excuse, and even encourage domestic violence. At the same time, there are a number of Latino cultural traditions and values that support and celebrate respectful and healthy relationships that need to be emphasized and encouraged and that can be employed to help eliminate domestic violence using an assets-based approach.

I appreciate how Alianza describes the role of prevention and intervention.

Our work with men must be carried out at both the intervention and prevention levels. Thus, at the same time that we work with men who have used violence against their partners and children, we must also engage men who have stopped their violence and want to continue their journey towards non-violence, and with men who have never used violence and want to join the work of eradicating domestic violence from our communities.

Click here to check our this position paper.

WEB CONFERENCE

Growing Boys Into Men: Countering Traditional Masculinity Through Norms Change

Countering norms that reinforce traditional masculinity is an opportunity to prevent violence in a lasting, comprehensive way. This web conference will highlight specific strategies and efforts that seeks to change norms related to gendered violence. Different norms will be examined with regard to their historical context, distinct challenges, and opportunities for collaborative work.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010, repeated on Thursday, May 27, 2010

Presenter: Annie Lyles, Xavier Morales and Christine Chang, Prevention Institute

Guests:

• Jerry Tello, Therapist, Author, and Performer
• Craig Norberg-Bohm, Men’s Initiative Coordinator, Jane Doe Inc.

Objectives:

• Understand how norms create an environment in which violence is more likely to occur.
• Provide examples of successes from people and organizations working to counter norms of traditional masculinity.
• Identify strategies being used to effectively counter and change norms.
• Identify potential indicators for measuring progress in norms change.

To Learn More and Register, Visit Our Website: http://www.preventconnect.org

Real-Time Captioning Available: Instructions for accessing captioning during this web conference will be provided with your registration confirmation.

Training Institute on Engaging Men and Boys to Prevent Domestic and Sexual Violence

Dates: Wednesday, June 23 and Thursday, June 24

Location: Contra Costa College, San Pablo, California

Trainers:

• Wayne Barnes, Yolanda Fairell, Lina Juarbe, and Tony Porter, A CALL TO MEN
• Terrence Ivory, STAND! Against Domestic Violence
• Jack Schmidt, Community Violence Solutions
• Chad Sniffen, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Agenda: Click here to view the agenda. (PDF)

Jeff Morrill

(22 min) In this interview, Jeff Morrill talks about Boys to Men, an educational program in Portland, Maine, focused on supporting the development of adolescent boys into healthy, non-violent men. He describes the origins of the Boys to Men program, the construction of its curriculum, and the ways that it uses bystander intervention training as a core component of its work.

Jeff Morrill is the Program Coordinator for Boys to Men. You can learn more about Boys to Men at its Website.

(Go to Interview)

[podcast]http://www.preventconnect.org/podcasts/V28 Jeff Morrill.mp3[/podcast]

At the beginning of November, CALCASA’s Dan Esparza and I attended the 1st National Conference for Campus-Based Men’s Gender Equality and Anti-Violence Groups held at St. John’s University in Minnesota. This ground-breaking event joins a string of 2009 conferences that explored issues of men’s  engagement and accountability in anti-sexist and anti-violence work, including the Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys in Gender Equality held in Rio de Janeiro this March, Men Can Stop Rape‘s Men and Women as Allies National Conference on the Primary Prevention of Men’s Violence Against Women held in Washington DC this April, and A CALL TO MEN‘s 4th National Conference held in New York this May.

Among the many exciting efforts presented at the Campus-Based Men’s Gender-Equality conference was The Men’s Story Project. As described on the Project’s website:

The Men’s Story Project (MSP) is a new public performance and community dialogue project that explores social ideas about masculinity, using the arts as a medium for community-building and social change. It aims to highlight men’s stories that are less often heard; to break silences on issues including sexism, racism, heterosexism, ableism and violence – and ways in which these are often intertwined with masculinities; to celebrate men’s beauty and humanness; and to stimulate active discussion on what being a man can be all about. The ultimate goal of this replicable project is to help increase the presence of genuine self-expression, peace, health and justice in communities.  The project was started in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In each MSP performance, a diverse group of approximately 15 local men share pieces they have created about their own lives, on subjects including sexuality, gender identity, romantic relationships, friendship, family, mentors, rites of passage, HIV/AIDS, perpetration of and healing from violence, immigration, personal transformations, and the men they wish to be – all with a framing focus on examination of masculinities and men’s roles.  Performances are multi-medium, including slam poetry, monologues, prose, music and dance.  Each performance is followed by facilitated audience-presenter discussion. MSP presenters are local artists, activists, and men who have never been on a public stage.

Dr. Josie Lehrer, the Project’s creator, has developed training materials and resources that can help the Men’s Story Project be replicated in any community. In my opinion, it absolutely should be. The power of a project like this to expose the interior lives of men is essential component to advancing gender-transformative anti-violence work. I was pleased to learn from the Project’s website that I am not alone in this opinion. These comments refer to a film that documented the stories told at the first MSP event in April 2009:

“The Men’s Story Project film is a powerful and moving tool for sparking conversations about male socialization, the variety of masculinities men act out, and the roles that all men can play in building healthy and just communities.”
   -   Paul Kivel, co-founder of the Oakland Men’s Project, author of Men’s Work and other books

“It is still relatively rare — and often startling — to hear men talk openly and honestly about experiences in our families, struggles (and joys) in relationships, violent victimization or perpetration, or anything else that leaves us feeling vulnerable — especially in front of other men. That is why the Men’s Story Project film is such an important contribution to the expanding work of engaging men at all levels of gender justice work: it speaks to our hearts as well as our minds, and beautifully brings together the personal and political aspects of these critical issues.”
   -   Jackson Katz, anti-sexist educator, filmmaker & author