Sunshine Coast Com-munity Services Society (SCCSS) is hosting a free community presentation by Jackson Katz on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Chatelech Secondary School Theatre in Sechelt.
The presentation is part of a project sponsored by SCCSS and funded by a grant from the Ministry of Justice Civil Forfeiture and the Family Violence Initiative Fund — REAL Men (Respect, Equality, Advocacy, Love): Preventing Violence Towards Women and Girls on the Sunshine Coast.
All interested community members are welcome to attend, but must register first by calling SCCSS at 604-885-5881, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as seats are limited.
Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist internationally recognized as a pioneer in gender violence prevention education and critical media literacy. In 1993 he co-founded Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), one of the most widely implemented and influential sexual and relationship abuse prevention programs in schools, sports culture and the military in North America and beyond. MVP introduced the “bystander approach” to the gender violence prevention field — Katz is one of the key architects of this now broadly popular approach.
Utilizing the bystander approach, the project will recruit 20 to 30 key influencers in the community to receive MVP training. This highly interactive workshop introduces the participants to the MVP philosophy and prepares them to train a number of high school students in how to use MVP materials and lead small group discussions.
The project highlights collaboration between SCCSS, Sunshine Coast RCMP, School District No. 46 and other community partners to prevent violence towards women and girls on the Sunshine Coast.
“We believe this project will provide positive capacity-building in our students and ultimately impact our entire community,” said SD46 district principal Vanessa White.
Promoting respectful and loving attitudes and advocating for equality in relationships at an early age will pave the way for the prevention of violence towards women.
“We support this project as a means of challenging attitudes and changing behaviours that will ultimately reduce the incidence of violence against women and girls in our community,” said Sgt. Steve Chubey of Sunshine Coast RCMP.
To make a donation to this initiative or to other SCCSS programs addressing violence against women and girls, call 604-885-5881 or see www.sccss.ca
