Men’s Leadership Initiative
Working together to end violence against women
Domestic violence, dating abuse, and sexual assault happens in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our communities.
Men play a crucial role in influencing other men and boys to challenge cultural norms and stop behaving in ways that encourage or actively reinforce violence against women and girls.
We are not going to end violence against women and girls unless we engage men and encourage them to step forward as leaders in this critical work.
The statistics are sobering:
- 1 in 5 teenage girls is abused by a boyfriend
- 1 in 4 women will experience abuse at the hands of a partner
- 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted while in college
- 40 million adult Americans grew up in a home with domestic violence
- Children of domestic violence are 3 times more likely to repeat the cycle of violence in adulthood
We invite you to join with other men in our community who are taking a stand and adding their voices to the chorus of men who say gender violence must stop now and are ready to do something to help change those statistics.
How you can become a leader
Most men do not engage in gender violence, and these men play a crucial role in influencing their peer groups to stop behaving in ways that encourage, condone, or actively promote violence against women and girls. We invite you to join The Men’s Leadership Initiative with other men in our community who are taking a stand and adding their voice to the chorus of men who say gender violence must stop now.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore offers The Men’s Leadership Training to help men build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to discourage, prevent, or interrupt an incident or potential incident of gender harassment or violence, and creates opportunities for men to mentor young men into healthy masculinity and educate the community on how they can help end gender violence.
We invite you to help change the conversation about gender violence. There are numerous ways to get involved, from one-on-one mentoring to community education. Our 5-week training is the foundation:
Attend an 8-hour training (over 5 weeks) that will you build your knowledge around the following topics:
- Exploring healthy masculinity
- Understanding media stereotypes that reinforce gender violence
- Learning about different forms of gender violence
- Bystander intervention skill building
Email Antonio Rice at arice@ywca-ens.org for additional information.
Men who have completed the Men’s Leadership Training will have an opportunity to work with young men at Evanston Township High School after attending a brief training on mentoring essentials. The young men are participants in our after-school group that helps them become peer leaders advocating for an end to gender violence and supporting healthy masculinity.
Email Antonio Rice at arice@ywca-ens.org for additional information.
Join our speaker’s bureau, “Men Engaging Men, to talk with other men about what you have learned and/or participate in our annual community education campaign.
Email Antonio Rice at arice@ywca-ens.org for additional information.
Join this committed group of men who want to make sure their voice helps end gender violence in our community. This team works with our Men’s Leadership Coordinator to plan our annual program activities and develop our annual community education campaign in which all men and boys can participate.
Email Antonio Rice at arice@ywca-ens.org for additional information.
Antonio Rice
Violence Prevention Educator
Antonio has worked at YWCA since 2011, focusing on youth awareness and coping strategies. Over that period he has expanded his work to include training and mentoring high school boys to interrupt ideas of masculinity that reinforce gender violence.
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Brian McHugh
Facilitator
Brian has worked with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence for over fifteen years. He works with YWCA’s Alternatives to Violence, co-facilitating a group for men who have been arrested for domestic violence.
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