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Mentors in Violence Prevention Model

The mentors in violence prevention (MVP) model was founded at the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS). Described as a “leadership program,” its aim is to motivate student leaders and student athletes to become more involved in the fight to end violence against women. It is a mixed-gender (although its first year focused only on young men), racially diverse group, which includes not only students but also former professional athletes. Sports analogies occur throughout the model, from its name (MVP also stands for “Most Valuable Player” in many North American team sports) to its use of “playbooks” rather than handbooks for its work in high schools. The MVP model was cofounded by Jackson Katz, director of the first worldwide domestic and sexual violence prevention program in the U.S. Marine Corps, also the author of The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help (2006). Other notable contributors to the project include Byron Hurt, an activist filmmaker who focuses on the portrayal of women in hip-hop.

Mission

Rather than assuming all women are potential victims of gendered violence and all men potential perpetrators, the MVP model favors a “bystander” approach, in which its participants feel empowered enough to stand up to peers who behave in an abusive manner or use language seen to contribute to the culture of sexism and violence. Challenging the mainstream idea that sexual violence and domestic violence are “women's issues,” MVP was one of the first campus-or community-based projects to encourage young men to take an active role in addressing these concerns. As a mixed-gender model, participants do not blame each other for the widespread problem of gender violence, but instead seek to find ways to work together in order to devise strategies for intervention and prevention.

Objectives

There are four main objectives for participation in MVP. First, it aims to raise awareness within the group about the extent of male violence toward women on physical, sexual, verbal and emotional levels. Second, it looks at the mainstream discourse around gender, sex, and violence and seeks to disrupt it by challenging those accepted narratives within and outside the group. Third, as a mixed-gender group, it creates a safe environment in which men and women can have an open and honest dialogue, sharing their experiences and opinions. Finally, it hopes to inspire group participants to take leadership roles in their respective communities, in order to apply what has been learned and devised in the group, and effect outside change.

Similar Projects

Similar projects to MVP include Men Can Stop Rape (formerly Men's Rape Prevention Project), whose “Strength” poster campaign used athletes and other young men to portray a variety of antiviolence against women messages, as well as forming “Men of Strength” clubs, which gave awards for men they viewed as having redefined their masculinity and strength in positive ways.

DeborahFinding
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412964517.n276
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