Mission Statement
The mission of MVP is to raise awareness about the level of men’s violence against women, challenge the thinking of mainstream society, open dialogue between men and women, and inspire leadership by empowering people with concrete options to effect change.
General Overview
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is a leadership training program that motivates student-athletes and student leaders to play a central role in solving problems that historically have been considered “women’s issues”: rape, battering, and sexual harassment.
Until recently, few campus or community-based programs have encouraged young men to work actively on these issues. The MVP program motivates men and women to work together in preventing men’s violence against women.
The mixed gender, racially-diverse MVP Program, composed of former professional and college athletes, motivates men and women to work together in preventing gender violence.
Bystander Approach to Prevention
Utilizing a unique bystander approach to prevention, the MVP program views student-athletes and student leaders not as potential perpetrators or victims, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers. This emphasis reduces the defensiveness men often feel and the helplessness women often feel when discussing issues of men’s violence against women.
The MVP approach does not involve finger pointing, nor does it blame participants for the widespread problem of gender violence. Instead it sounds a positive call for proactive, preventive behavior and leadership.
Evaluations:
MVP has been proven to be effective through a multi-year, independent evaluation. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, MVP has been shown to produce significant positive change in students’ knowledge and behaviors relating to gender violence and prevention.
