Men Can Stop Rape

Men Can Stop Rape: Mobilizing Men to Create Cultures Free From Violence

 

Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) is an international Washington, DC-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize men to use their strength for creating cultures free from violence, especially men’s violence against women. Since our inception in 1997, MCSR has led the call to redefine masculinity and male strength as part of preventing men’s violence against women.

 

Usually we as a society assume that the burden of preventing rape, domestic violence, and dating violence largely falls on the shoulders of women and girls. Men are often at a loss as to how they can play a positive part in stopping sexual violence.

 

Our primary prevention approach offers men a positive role to play. Put simply, this public health approach is about stopping the violence before it starts. End goals include not only healthy relationships but also healthy communities. In a healthy community the well-being and safety of all its members is of central importance. Gender-based violence, racist violence, and gay bashing destroy a community's health.

 

From Men Can Stop Rape's perspective, healthy masculinity supports the traits of healthy communities. Some of the principles MCSR considers integral to healthy masculinity are:

 

• Recognizing unhealthy aspects of masculinity

 

• Empathizing with others

 

• Supporting gender equity and other forms of equity

 

• Replacing risky and violent masculine attitudes and behaviors with behaviors and attitudes that respect the self and others

 

• Learning skills to constructively challenge unhealthy masculine attitudes and behaviors

 

Engaging men to participate in the creation of a culture of primary prevention within their community requires a parallel process of building and supporting healthy masculinity.

 

Youth Development: The Men of Strength (MOST) Club in Washington, DC.

 

Direct service through youth development programs is the cornerstone of Men Can Stop Rape's work. Since 2000, the Men of Strength (MOST) Club - the premier primary prevention program for male youth in the country - has provided middle and high school age men with a structured and supportive space to learn about healthy masculinity and translate learning into community leadership.

 

Identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as among the top gender violence prevention programs in the country, the MOST Club is currently serving youth at over 100 sites across the country. MOST Club members have become spokespersons for healthy masculinity and prevention in their schools and the culture at large, speaking at events put on by the United Nations and Liz Claiborne, to name a few. In addition, Vital Voices (cofounded by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton) recognized us as “one of the most innovative prevention programs in the United States.”

 

We've reached over 2 million youth and professionals with our award-winning youth program the Men of Strength Club, our Campus Men of Strength program for college men, and our “My Strength is Not for Hurting" public awareness campaign.

 

But we need your help to continue to sustain our work in the District of Columbia. This school year, we are excited to be able to bring MOST Club programming to every public middle and high school in the District of Columbia Public School system. Please show your strength by supporting Men Can Stop Rape and the Men of Strength (MOST) Club on Give to the Max Day, November 9th.

#give2max