Chobee Courage Project Mentoring Curriculum

Developed by:

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and

Martha’s House Domestic Violence Center

This project was supported by Grant No. 2012-WM-AX-K014 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to be a mentor for the Chobee Courage Engaging Men Project.

The purpose of this program is to mobilize men like you and the boys you will mentor to take a stand against violence against women and girls through non-violent bystander intervention. This will be accomplished through education and engagement of participants in mentoring relationships. You, as mentors will provide strategies and resources to build attitudes and behaviors in young men in your community to encourage healthy and safe relationships. The overall goal of the project is to teach the young men in your community the importance of equality in relationships and that violence never equals strength.

Mentors will be paired with another adult mentor and each adult will be assigned a group of youth participants.

As a mentor you will be discussing with participants what it means to be an ally to women and girls and to have equal and respectful relationships. You are being tasked with positively influencing the next generation of male allies through honest and open communication about what it means to be a man.

Each module includes objectives for meetings, the materials and supplies needed, sample discussions, activities, the approximate length of time for each activity, and the purpose of each section. All necessary materials to complete the sessions will be provided by Martha’s House.

You are encouraged to speak from personal experiences when prompted to do so in language that is age appropriate for the participants. Each module must be reviewed by the mentor(s) in advance of the meeting or meetings. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Martha’s House staff.

This material was created in collaboration with the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Martha’s House and approved by the Office on Violence Against Women especially for the Chobee Courage Mentoring Project. It should be followed using the prompts and guidelines provided. If a portion is changed, altered, or omitted please note it in the Group Process Notes. These notes will be completed by the mentor for each session and submitted to Martha’s House.

You will be facilitatinq sessions with the participants. After the first meeting, youth participants will complete a pre-survey. When all of the sessions are complete, participants will complete a post-survey. All surveys will be submitted to Martha’s House staff.

Martha’s House staff will be present during all of your meetings. If you have a question or need their support, Martha’s House staff will be a resource throughout the project. Additionally, mentors, project-wide, will meet monthly. These meetings will serve as opportunities to process group’s activities, ask questions or share any concerns you may have. This will also be a time to share your ideas of how to improve the project.

By the end of this training, the participants will have learned new information and will have hopefully grown in their understanding about how to address violence against women in their community. As mentors it is appropriate to challenge inappropriate comments at the time they are made and adjust the curriculum as necessary to address them. Comments that may be inappropriate often come from a place of discomfort or misunderstanding. It is the mentor’s role to discuss these comments and use them to create teachable moments. These discussions will guide youth through the process of understanding violence. In concert with your mentorship and this project the participants grow to become active bystanders.

During the first session, explain that certain information participants might disclose during the meetings might require a mandatory abuse report to the state, and give examples of such information.

Please note the bolded discussion points are included in each module and must be covered in the sessions indicated throughout this curriculum.

We thank you for your participation in this project and know that the work you do will impact youth for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Chobee Courage Project Team

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