To get FREE posters and brochures from the Coaching Boys into Men campaign, click here. While doing some research for another “End Violence” project I’m working on, I stumbled across an American website with FREE and immediately downloadable posters. The website of the Family Violence Prevention Fund is concerned with ending men’s violence against women and children. Bravo to them. They have recognized that violence is not a women’s issue, that it is a whole of community concern and that if men are part of the problem then they are also part of the solution. While the women’s movement was successful in putting domestic violence on the agenda it is time for all of us to ensure that our children grow up with a balanced view of the issue and a zero tolerance of violence against all people: women, children and men. As discussed in previous blogs, the Cycle of Violence is a learned behavior. If something is learned, it can also be unlearned. Positive and functional male role models are exactly what our boy children require: Male coaches, and Dads, who will talk to our sons and reinforce our messages of non-violence. Launched in 2002 the prevention program has focused on “the important role men can play in helping to end domestic violence.”
A 2004 evaluation (in End Abuse newsletter, Spring 2004) of the extensive media campaign revealed that men who had seen the commercials were ten percent more likely to speak to their sons about how to treat women. While ten percent is hardly a staggering amount it is indicative of the difficulty some fathers have in knowing how and when to broach such a topic. If watching a commercial is the cue they need to openly discuss what it means to be a real man then I throw myself 100% behind the project.
My own research into protective behaviors has confirmed that discussions need to be daily and that children surrounded with positive safety triggers have a higher chance of remembering what to do in risky situations. The idea of having free A4 posters to download and print from a home computer is a wonderful way to ensure a daily, visual reminder that violence is not acceptable.
Guess what I’ve just printed out to put on my sons wall? Come Christmas time, I’ll also print out extra posters to use as free wrapping paper. This added reinforcement of our strong family message of non-violence will no doubt make the kids laugh but it will also remind them of the stress and violence that often occurs when entire families gather. Christmas violence is a recognized phenomenon. When funds are low and tensions run high I want my children to understand that there are always alternatives to bad behavior. I also want my children to know how to reach out and care for others in less happy families than ours.
If you’re interested in the knowing the steps required to coach boys into men, click here, for the eight examples designed to help us parent boys.