ThinkTank at the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau
We met at the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau to kick off the ThinkTank mode of NeXtGen Digest.
Rya Morgan, Director of the Rape Awareness Program detailed the FWWB’s programs and jumped right into contemporary issues with Rape Prevention.
Here are some highlights:
- Framing Rape Awareness and Prevention as a Public Health Issue, like smoking, allows individuals to take responsibility in changing social norms, through a proven model: It is no longer acceptable to smoke in public; we could do the same with sexual assault and violence.
- Many factors including the shame associated with Rape has prevented us from taking it up as a preventable issue.
- Rape has historically been treated as a women’s issue, limiting the role half of our society plays and contributing to the stigmatizing of victims.
- Rape Programs have traditionally worked on the education and prevention side with women: teaching women defense strategies and education about date rape prevention. These programs continue to be a crucial part of the whole picture.
- Victim services continues to be a vital tool in a community’s Rape Program
- To fully mobilize the community, Rya suggests the need to engage men in the program: as role models, as speakers, as participants, as fathers, brothers, & sons
- The FWWB Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser underscored the support of local men.
- FWWB launched the Engaging Men’s Task Force bringing together community members from the YWCA, Center for Nonviolence, and core of teen volunteers
- We went through an enlightening Gender Boxes exercise that reflected culturally accepted norms for each gender, which proved to be narrow.
- A Facebook Page is being created to allow for quick updates.
Using a handout “The Spectrum of Prevention; A tool for comprehensive action and norms change,” Rya led a brainstorming session on ways for the FWWB to innovate. The group is already in the beginning stages of many of these projects but appreciated the feedback and new ideas from community partners.
The tool lays out six major areas, or levels that must be engaged to alter socially acceptable behavior. As Rya suggested, one set of programs or hitting one target audience is self-limiting. The FWWB plans to blanket the community with respect to gender equity.
Brainstorming Thoughts:
- Gender Equity Zones: a sticker for local businesses and organizations to display at the entrance once their practices have been endorsed as gender equitable by the FWWB.
- Coaching Boys into Men programs
- Creating awareness at parental level: PTO’s, etc.
- Go where young men are
- Bring Men as role models
- Youtubes up for Walk A Mile
- Mobilize a volunteer force of men who challenge social understanding of Rape and sexual violence
- Year of the Gentleman
Stephanie O'Shaughnessy said
I was very bummed that I couldn’t be there on Friday. However, I’ve been trying to think about the topic a lot and have put a few of my thoughts down here. I would love to be able to continue the discussion online, if possible, through the blog.
I really like the Gender Equity Zone stickers- it’s simple and gets the point across that people need to be pro-active to stop sexual assault and rape. I would love to see the city covered in these stickers to serve as a constant reminder to respect others.
I think getting more men involved is a necessity for prevention, but the how is the challenge. The turnout for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was amazing, do we have any idea what the leading reason was, i.e., coaxing by wives, girlfriends, getting to wear the high heels, or the free t-shirt that brought all those men out? Was it simply the cause itself? If so, that says a lot as to the numbers of men who would be willing to volunteer in other programs promoting gender equality. Collaboration with the Center for Nonviolence I think would also be a great help in building and promoting and creating some of these programs.
Under the Go where men go brainstorm thought, it reminded me of a billboard, I think on Spy Run that’s promoting an IPFW women’s basketball game fundraiser for Think Pink for breast cancer awareness. And it made me wonder why the men’s basketball team doesn’t have this as well. Breast cancer affects them too. But then I also started thinking about other issues a basketball or other sports team could address. A sexual assault or rape awareness basketball game or other game would be really cool in not only getting the issue out there, but right smack in the middle of where a bunch of men are. Does this seem feasible? It wouldn’t have to necessarily be a college team either, little leagues could also take part. If it were catered to little league players and promoted and lead by men, I think that would be even more effective. What do you guys think?
Andy Welfle said
Sorry I couldn’t make it.
Reading over these notes, I guess I’m a little confused about the difference between gender equality and gender equity. Or rather, I’m confused about why you use equity rather than equality. Are you using equity to mean a law, or an impartiality among gender discrimination?
The suggestions listed sound great. The stickers and the YouTube videos are awesome, and I think coaching of young men would be very productive. I’ve always liked the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” thing, and someday when I know I can practice so I don’t break my nose, I hope to take part in that.
I can see a lot of resistance being put up against those “men into boys” coaching ideas. Unless it was proposed very carefully, there are a going to be a lot of men (and boys) who would interpret this as a “you’re-going-to-rape-women-unless-you-take-this-class” type of a thing, which would be a grossly unfair assumption. I think there would have to be a lot of careful research, training, and marketing done to make sure this isn’t an assumption people make about that program.
Of course, since I wasn’t at the meeting, I have no idea what was indeed talked about, so I could be way off base. (-:
Hope to see everyone next time!
Rya Morgan said
I have been thinking about Stephanie’s question asking what got men involved in Walk A Mile in Her Shoes in the first place. Here are my observations. The morning of the corporate kick-off breakfast Indiana News Center meteorologist Curtis Smith MC’d the event in the red heels. What a BRAVE man! Honestly it made a difference for the guys in the room to see a public figure confident enough to wear the shoes. The same morning I explained how for women we think about rape and sexual assault on a daily basis. For instance we all know to park near a lighted area, go out with a group, keep car keys ready, watch for suspicious characters , and so on. Men for the most part are unaware of how sexual violence alters the daily lives of all women –even those who are never assaulted. The corporate kick-off started the ball rolling and it just kept getting bigger. In the beginning I think many of the men were prodded into participating by their wives. Once guys knew so many other men were involved they felt comfortable to join in. On the day of the event and the weeks to follow it has been amazing to see how many women were brought to tears witnessing all the men coming out to wear the shoes.
As far as the difference between the terms gender equality and gender equity, I tend to use them interchangeably. Here is the definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_Equity Do you think this is proper use of the term?
I really appreciate Andy’s insight into the Coaching Boys into Men program. I absolutely agree we need to approach men from a positive strength based perspective. People don’t want to be shamed into participating on any project and I think the most men in our community are great guys. Here is a link to check out the national program: http://www.coaches-corner.org/index.php?page=intro&show=4
Do any of you know any coahces or athletes who would want to be involved?
Emily Hallgren said
A men’s basketball game benefiting rape and sexual assault prevention is such a great idea!
Since the women’s basketball team is putting on the game for Breast Cancer Awareness, perhaps the IPFW men’s team would like to put on a benefit game for Rape Prevention. I agree this would be a great way to both showcase men standing up against rape, and bring the message to a space with a lot of men!
Does anyone have any contacts with the IPFW’s men’s basketball team, or another men’s basketball team/association? Please share them!
Stephanie O'Shaughnessy said
So, it sounds like men are more likely to get involved if they know they won’t be attacked or accused of crimes they haven’t committed. I feel like for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes it was an outlet for men to support women without feeling the stigma associated with being male at a rape awareness/sexual assault program. Creating an environment that is positive for men and also supportive and focused on women can be difficult, but I think the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes pulled that off. Continuing that atmosphere into the other programs will be a big help in involving men.