Did you know you’re a male role model and you might not even realize it? Young people you know – sons, their friends, nephews, grandchildren or the kids you coach – are watching your actions and soaking them up for reference and later use.

Three things you can do to create positive change

TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT BOUNDARIES – Helping boys understand their own boundaries and how to assert them is an important step in helping them understand other people’s boundaries and how to respect them.

STAND UP, SPEAK OUT ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN – Let young people in your life know you don’t support sexist comments or violence against women, so they will have the confidence, language and skills to be able to do the same later on.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE – Recognize you have a role to play in talking with young people in your life about gender equality and healthy, violence-free relationships. These are not only “women’s issues” but issues that affect us all, including men and boys.

Have an everyday conversation:
“One day, on the way to dropping my three boys off at school, Rihanna’s song ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ came on the radio. This is one of their favorite songs and Rihanna tops their list of popular artists. I lowered the volume slightly and told them about the violence she experienced from her boyfriend. They asked a lot of questions, each filled with sadness and concern. I explained to them that it’s not right for men to hurt or abuse their girlfriends, and that disagreements are best resolved with words rather than violence. When one of them said ‘he didn’t have the right to do that to her,’ I knew that I had been successful in getting the message to them.”– a male role model

If you are interested in learning more about violence prevention topics or would like to have a speaker for your group, organization or workplace, call the Violence Prevention Coordinator at (231) 347-1572.