Change happens when we recognize that our language matters. In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added more than 530 new words to the dictionary, including entries for identity and race. “They” is now “used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary.” And a new sense of “inclusive” has been added: “allowing and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability).” So, why are we still referring to a piece of clothing as a “wife beater?” During #DVAM, we are saying NO MORE to language that normalizes violence. Join us in asking dictionaries to make a change. Sample social media …
Comments Off on Cedric Lloyd – Uniontown Area High School
With over 35 years of coaching experience and as the Head Coach of the Uniontown Area High School football and track team, Coach Cedric Lloyd has a goal to “develop great boyfriends and someday, husbands,” through an athletic program that revolves around respect of self and others. Since implementing Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) with his team, in addition to observing his players interacting differently with the other students, Coach Lloyd reports, “teachers, girlfriends, teammates and parents have given positive feedback on the players.” “Our hope is always that our student athletes know they can become anything with direction, and we feel that CBIM gives …
Comments Off on Jonathan LeDonne – Penn Hills High School
Jonathan LeDonne, head coach of the Penn Hills High School Indians, says his hope as a coach is to develop leaders and build honorable young people of high character, on and off the field. That’s why, when introduced to CBIM through a fellow coach, he believed it was important to implement the program with his football team. Coach LeDonne reports “they were a little reserved at first, but as coaches related back to their own experiences, the players started opening up and participating in the conversations. Later in the program, when a topic was introduced, the players started sharing stories and responses.” He says an open dialogue is very beneficial to today’s teenagers and believes …
Comments Off on Fifth Annual Father’s Day Pledge Event Recap
Southwest Pa Says No More hosted its largest gathering to date for the fifth annual Father’s Day Pledge event at U.S. Steel Tower. Prominent business, civic and community leaders and public officials demonstrated their commitment to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault before a crowd of hundreds – an inspiring call to action for our region. “Today, 90% of men in Southwest Pennsylvania agree that they have role to play in ending violence against women and girls. But too few men have found a way to use their voice to say out loud the things they believe,” said Kristy Trautmann, executive director, FISA Foundation. “The …
Comments Off on Pittsburgh Says “No More” to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
5th Annual Father’s Day Pledge Ceremony will take place at U.S. Steel Tower Plaza on June 13 – largest gathering to date expected with participation by several corporations WHAT: Father’s Day Pledge Public Signing Ceremony to End Gender Violence On Thursday, June 13, prominent business, civic and community leaders, and public officials will lend their voices to the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault at the 5th annual Father’s Day Pledge Ceremony in downtown Pittsburgh. This year’s public gathering is expected to be the largest yet with groups from UPMC, Koppers, Ernst & Young LLC, PNC, KPMG, Highmark Health and several other organizations participating. …
Comments Off on Editorial: Dating violence demands awareness
In this video, local college students come together with Dr. Gary Cuccia to help navigate the warnings signs of dating violence. The point isn’t to discourage a romance. It’s to keep it safe. Dating violence is real. It happens every day. Sometimes the damage is physical, and sometimes it’s more subtle and psychological, but the solution is the same either way. Awareness. Thank you to the Tribune-Review for working with Southwest PA Says NO MORE and FISA Foundation.
Comments Off on Change Happens Here: NO MORE Week 2019
During the week of March 3-9, we support survivors and recognize those who are working to end domestic and sexual violence in our community. This week allows us to make the commitment to help change a culture that has accepted violence for too long. Change happens everywhere. #ChangeHappensHere! MARCH 5: Nearly 50 corporate leaders gathered at Hotel Monaco for the Fifth Annual Corporate Leadership Breakfast to End Violence Against Girls and Women. Among those who presented at this meeting were Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive, Allegheny County; Bob Nutting with the Pittsburgh Pirates; Evan Rosenberg of The Pittsburgh Business Times; Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust; David Holmberg, Highmark Blue …
Comments Off on Coaching Boys Into Men Yearbook 2018
Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) is an evidence-based program that provides high school athletic coaches with the tools they need to address critical topics with their players: respectful relationships with dating partners, consent and what to do if a player witnesses harassment or sexual assault. The CBIM curriculum consists of a series of structured coach-to-athlete discussions that guide coaches using core lessons taught in athletics as the platform to start these conversations. The program empowers athletes, who are often leaders in school culture, to model healthy, respectful behaviors for their peers. In 2018, 283 coaches implemented the program with 1,832 athletes on 63 teams in …
Comments Off on Men and Masculinity in the U.S. in the Age of #MeToo Event
A presentation by Promundo, an international leader working to promote gender equality and create a world free from violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women and girls. For more than twenty years, Promundo has engaged in research, programs, and advocacy efforts demonstrating that exploring positive models of “what it means to be a man” and promoting healthy, respectful masculinity leads to improvements in the lives of women and girls, as well as in men’s own lives. Join us to hear the findings from ongoing and recent research and programming on how men think about their roles, and how this impacts violence and …
As Southwest PA Says NO MORE enters its 5th year, we work to create change by participating in NO MORE Week. NO MORE Week is a national effort to engage every individual, organization or corporation to say NO MORE and to make domestic violence and sexual assault awareness and prevention a priority year-round. During the week of March 3-9, we support survivors and recognize those who are working to end domestic and sexual violence in our community. This week allows us to make the commitment to help change a culture that has accepted violence for too long. Change happens everywhere. #ChangeHappensHere! Southwest Says NO MORE will show its teal pride during NO MORE Week with a …
Comments Off on Stories from the Sanctuary: Clergy responding to domestic violence
By Angela Reynolds and Kristy Trautmann The pastor of a small congregation offered to meet with a new attendee of the church. During their meeting, he shared some ways she could become more involved. Unexpectedly, she explained the journey that led her to this congregation: one that started with her surviving an attack from her boyfriend and led her to seek a place to heal and move on in her faith. The pastor admired her strength and courage in sharing her story while wondering if the ministerial training he received adequately laid the foundation for where to go next in this conversation. Recently Southwest PA Says No …
Comments Off on Charles Langston – Cornell High School
Assistant Basketball coach Charles Langston at Cornell High School is a champion of Coaching Boys into Men [CBIM]. CBIM is a tool for high school coaches to mentor their male athletes by having conversations about healthy relationships, respectful behaviors, and social media. “CBIM opened up our dialogue as coaches and developed our relationships, not just as a team, but as men who care about supporting and guiding our players.” CBIM seeks to empower athletes to lead their peers by modeling healthy behaviors. Charles, recognizing that the conversations are easily adaptable to a broader audience, now delivers CBIM with both the young women and young men …
Comments Off on Dating Education matters as much as Drivers Ed, doesn’t it?
By Kristy Trautmann We know that 1 in 3 teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by a dating partner. This means the vast majority of teens know someone who is in an unhealthy, sometimes violent, relationship. Even though some young people have strong relationships with parents and mentors, they are more likely to tell a friend about unhealthy relationship patterns than to ask an adult for help. We routinely instruct teens about the rules of the road before letting them drive; but far too often young people are on their own to figure out dating and intimacy. Although most Americans believe they can …
Comments Off on Dating Matters Interactive Workshop: Healthy Teen Relationships Training
Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships is a comprehensive teen dating violence prevention model developed by CDC to stop teen dating violence before it starts. Dating Matters is an evidence-based teen dating violence prevention model that includes prevention strategies for individuals, peers, families, schools, and neighborhoods. It focuses on teaching 11-14 year olds healthy relationship skills before they start dating and reducing behaviors that increase the risk for dating violence, like substance abuse and sexual risk-taking. The in-person and 1-hour online training sessions are free and open to the public. Continuing Education Units (CEU) are available. To see the Dating Matters flier, click here. …
Comments Off on New help is available if you’ve been sexually harassed at work or school
Women’s Law Project launches #MeTooPA helpline By: Kristy Trautmann Sexual harassment is a serious and pervasive problem, not just for Hollywood celebrities, but for young women at school, and those working low-wage jobs. Far too many students and workers feel trapped and have no place to turn. More than half of 7th-12th grade girls have experienced some form of sexual harassment, and the rates are even higher for young black girls and girls with disabilities. Much of this harassment is witnessed by teachers or other adults who fail to take it seriously. One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. Fewer …
Comments Off on DaMon Macklin – USO (University Prep/Sci-Tech/Obama Academy
Assistant football coach DaMon Macklin from USO (University Prep/Sci-Tech/Obama Academy) is a firm believer in Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM). “Sometimes, youth need honest conversations. After I heard about what the program entailed, I knew I had to bring it to my players,” DaMon said. CBIM is an evidence-based program that gives high school coaches the tools to talk about healthy relationships and respectful behaviors and empowers male athletes to be positive bystanders. According to DaMon, “A coach is a mentor who helps his players grow into respectable men in the community, not just tell them what they want to hear.” DaMon recognizes the importance …
Comments Off on Lenny Orbovich – Carrick High School
Carrick High School head wrestling and assistant football coach Lenny Orbovich sees the importance of educating his athletes about respecting women through Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM). Years of character-building coaching with his team has yielded positive results: “I hear the boys talking about our discussions outside of practice, and that’s how I know CBIM is making a difference.” CBIM provides coaches and athletes the opportunity to talk about healthy relationships, social media, and how to be a positive bystander in sports and in school. “As a coach, I see my players as real people. I want them to achieve success on the field and …
By Kristy Trautmann These feel like dark times for many – less daylight, more cold weather, and much fear and sadness in the wake of violence and tragedy. In the coming weeks many faith traditions will celebrate light and hope, and we wish you peace and comfort throughout the holidays. But everyone who has lit a flame in the darkness knows that fire both brings light and amplifies shadows. We can in turn be mesmerized by dancing candlelight and be startled by the oversized, sometimes menacing shadows cast by its brightness. Our collective work to prevent violence and to promote safe and healthy relationships requires …
Comments Off on Ryan Reitz – Jeannette High School
Assistant football coach Ryan Reitz has dedicated years to coaching male athletes in his district because he knows how impactful coaches can be in young people’s lives. He recently began implementing Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) with his team at Jeannette High School. CBIM is a character-building curriculum, consisting of 12 structured conversations that teach athletes life lessons they can carry beyond athletics. Each 15 minute conversation helps to empower athletes with skills to be positive roles models for their peers in school. Ryan recognized that Coaching Boys into Men could strengthen his efforts to lead and motivate his players- two tasks he feels are …
By Kristy Trautmann We are experiencing a watershed moment in the movement to address violence against women. Fifty years ago, we did not talk about domestic violence, sexual assault or sexual harassment. And now gender-based violence is in the headlines nearly every day: Bill Cosby, campus sexual assault, Larry Nassar and the testimony of Olympic gymnasts, Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo movement, sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church… We now recognize these forms of abuse as serious and pervasive societal issues. Three years ago, Southwest PA Says No More was founded to support the regional movement to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. Across our region, …
