Men Against Domestic Violence launched in
October
Kick-off breakfast October 14 in Santa
Barbara
Men Against Domestic Violence, an auxiliary of
Domestic Violence Solutions, sponsored its first
public event, a breakfast, on Tuesday, October 14,
at 7:30 a.m., at Moby Dick’s Restaurant in
Santa Barbara. The breakfast featured a
keynote address by Santa Barbara Police Chief Cam
Sanchez. Other speakers included Rebecca
Robertson, DVS executive director, and Brian
Pearson, DVS peer education coordinator.
Men
Against Domestic Violence is a grassroots group
of DVS supporters, spearheaded by board member
Chris Casebeer, who have chosen to take a stand
against domestic violence in our community and to
encourage other men to do the same.
Accordingly,
one of the group’s first efforts will be a
campaign to encourage men and boys to “Take
the Pledge Against Domestic Violence.”
The Santa Barbara Police Department, led by Chief
Sanchez, kicked-off the campaign by being the
first man in Santa Barbara to publicly take the
pledge.
Thereafter,
the campaign will challenge young men in Santa
Barbara junior high and high schools to pledge to
be violence-free for a week and to encourage the
men in their lives to make a permanent commitment
to violence-free personal relationships, as well.
“We
believe men play a crucial role in helping to end
domestic violence,” says Casebeer. “After
all, men are the role models for acceptable male
behavior. Moreover, the majority of men
are not violent and dorespect the women in their
lives. It’s time for us to make a
public statement that relationship violence is
not acceptable.”
The
“Take
the Pledge Against Domestic Violence”
campaign will initially target Santa Barbara
public schools because the classroom presents a
forum for educating young men about healthy
relationships. Students, in turn, can
educate their parents¾or at least offer the
perspective that violence is not OK. MADV
is looking for volunteers to assist in making
classroom presentations.
DVS’
teen service coordinators from Santa Maria and
Lompoc liked the idea of “The Pledge”
so much, they are also introducing it in their
teen workshops and support groups.
For more information regarding Men Against
Domestic Violence, to get involved, or to reserve
your space at an event (women are welcome, also!),
please call Leslee at 963-4458, ext. 13. Or
email Chris Casebeer at chris@chriscasebeer.com
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