Members of Innovative Men Of Strength Clubs
Come to Sacramento for National Strength Summit
On Friday, April 7, 2006 the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) and Washington DC-based Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) will host the first Strength Summit, a national gathering of Men of Strength (MOST) Club members. Starting in September 2005, six California rape crisis centers established MOST Clubs at their area high schools, which provide male youth with workshops and opportunities to take leadership roles in sexual violence prevention.
MOST Clubs are a promising best practice for preventing first-time perpetration of sexual violence. Established in Washington DC in 2001, MOST Clubs are being evaluated with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MOST Clubs are based on 16-week curriculum that explores alternatives to traditional masculinity and end with MOST Club members participating in community action projects to end sexual violence. The six California pilot communities: (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Petaluma, Weaverville and West Fresno) join four other MOST Clubs in Washington DC. Over 40 youth from California and Washington DC will meet via videoconference to share their experiences to prevent sexual violence.
MOST Clubs are an exciting component of the MyStrength campaign, a cutting-edge multi-media and outreach campaign to prevent sexual violence in California. The campaign targets young men aged 14-18 and engages them as part of a solution to prevent first-time perpetration. Radio ads, billboards and posters direct people to the campaign website (MyStrength.org and MiFuerza.org) California campaign is based on Washington DC’s Men Can Stop Rape’s media materials and Men of Strength (MOST) Club curriculum. (MenCanStopRape.org) “My Strength Is Not For Hurting” is the theme of these materials.
Please enter your zip code in the space provided to locate the closest California Rape Crisis Center to you.