Mentors in Violence Training held Dec. 6 in Sechelt, BC
I was delighted to receive one-day training in Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) on Dec. 6, 2016 in Sechelt, BC. Roughly a dozen of us attended, including local teachers and providers of an after-school teen drop-in program. The event’s co-facilitators were Wayne Spychka, my boss as an SCCSS gender violence prevention worker, and Keely Halward, Wayne’s boss. Both are experienced MVP mentors and employees in Together Against Violence at the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society (SCCSS).
In male-only and female-only groups, we did exercises that identify gender stereotypes and practised facilitating and observing scenarios portraying inappropriate sexual behaviour. The MVP process reinforces a stance of Be More Than a Bystander: if you witness anything sexually inappropriate occurring between others, doing nothing is not an option. It is important for youths to either notify an adult or authorities and/or intervene, if they can do this safely.
MVP Strategies was developed in the early 1990s in Boston, MA, based on a peer leadership model using trained student leaders. It strives to empower those who might otherwise be silent observers to situations of violence unfolding around them. The primary goals of MVP are to
- Increase awareness of verbal/emotional/psychological and sexual abuse.
- Challenges messages within a social setting about gender/sex/relationship violence.
- Inspire leadership by empowering participants with options to effect change in social norms.
For more details read my MVP training Dec 2016 Coast Reporter.