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In addition to lectures and multimedia presentations, Jackson Katz conducts full or half-day trainings for college staff, faculty, and administrators; high school educators; sexual assault and domestic violence program staff; health-care and human services professionals; law enforcement personnel; and others. These trainings can be customized to the needs of various groups, but the basic structure and content of the training is outlined below:
At the beginning of the full or half-day, Katz introduces participants to a creative new way of conceptualizing the role of men in what historically have been considered "women's issues." Instead of seeing sexual and domestic violence as women’s issues that some “good guys” help out with, he argues that they are men’s issues, about which all men should be educated and active – especially men in positions of family, community, professional and political leadership.
With a combination of lecture, written and oral exercises, and interactive discussion, Katz shares with participants a series of strategies for inspiring men, young men, and boys to work in collaboration with women to change the social norms that tolerate or condone some men’s sexist or abusive behaviors. During the discussion of one of these strategies, which focuses on the role of bystanders, he presents the philosophy behind and practical application of the MVP Model, a gender violence prevention education strategy he and his racially diverse, mixed-gender staff first developed in 1993 at Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
(Today, MVP is the leading gender violence prevention model in professional and collegiate athletics, and Katz shares lessons learned from his and his colleagues' work over the past decade in the college and professional sports culture, the U.S. military, as well as with numerous high schools and middle schools. MVP works with both men and women.)
The training also features a segment on the crucial role of media literacy in the prevention of gender violence and bullying. Katz uses clips from his award-winning educational films, including Tough Guise, Wrestling With Manhood, and Spin The Bottle, to spark discussion about the importance of understanding – and changing – the cultural environment in which boys/men (and girls/women) learn sexist beliefs and abusive behaviors. As an internationally recognized media literacy pioneer, he offers useful tips for introducing students and professionals to a cutting-edge approach to reading media images critically – especially those connected with masculinities and violence.
This informative and highly interactive training will cover a number of topics. These include but are not limited to the need to rethink language used to talk about violence; dynamics of male peer culture that keep many men silent in the face of their peers' abusive behavior; the relationship between homophobia and sexism; the role of media in shaping gendered behavior; issues of racial and ethnic diversity; and the role of adult male leadership.
The training will also accomplish several key goals: it will enhance participants' understanding of why few men to date have become actively involved in gender violence prevention efforts. It will provide them with concrete strategies to involve men (and boys) as allies in this critical work. It will offer insights into working with athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators, as well as male business and labor leaders, religious leaders, and other influential men. And it will help bring together women and men in local, regional and even broader communities to discuss and plan how they can work together to design and implement lasting social change through effective gender violence prevention.
Suggested training title: More Than a Few Good Men: Strategies for Inspiring Men and Boys to be Allies in Gender Violence Prevention
For schedule and fee information, e-mail: Jacksonkatz@aol.com or MVPStrategies@aol.com
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