Year Up Providence and the Women’s Center of Rhode Island Present “Agents of Change” Men’s Event

PROVIDENCE, RI – Join Year Up Providence and the Women’s Center of Rhode Island for the first annual Agents of Change Awareness & Networking Event. This males-only event is an opportunity for Rhode Island men to come together and discuss how their own masculinity can help end violence in local communities. The event is free and open to men of all ages and backgrounds. Secure parking is available nearby at the Providence Place Mall ($2.00 for the first five hours). Light refreshments will be provided, and the first 20 men to arrive will receive a door prize! Men who are interested in attending can register here: http://conta.cc/1pwFRxv.

WHEN:

Thursday, June 12
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Year Up Providence
40 Fountain Street, 7th Floor
Providence, RI 02903

WHY:

The organizer of this event is John Youte, Director of Outreach, Admissions and Student Services at Year Up Providence. Mr. Youte is a member of TEN MEN, male allies of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV). Featured in the television public service announcement created by TEN MEN and the RICADV, which launched yesterday, June 9, Mr. Youte can be seen talking to young men about healthy conflict resolution, conveying one way men and their organizations can play a role in ending domestic violence.

Mr. Youte is hosting the Agents of Change Awareness & Networking Event as part of his commitment to the TEN MEN project. An event celebrating RI men’s diversity, men who attend will learn how their own understandings and expressions of healthy masculinity can help change the world, creating the positive social change necessary to end domestic and dating violence. Attendees will watch the TEN MEN television PSA as well as the documentary “My Masculinity Helps,” a film that examines gender roles, masculinity, and power, and will be invited to sign a pledge against domestic violence. By joining together with their peers for an evening of networking and education, men will leave feeling empowered to continue to the conversation around healthy masculinity and with the tools to say NO MORE to domestic violence.

Mr. Youte and other TEN MEN members are available to interview upon request. Lucy Rios, the TEN MEN Project Coordinator and Director of Prevention and Public Education for the RICADV, is also available.

About TEN MEN:

TEN MEN is a group of Rhode Island men from diverse walks of life who have a common vision – a world without domestic violence. Most men are not violent in their relationships. But one violent man is one too many. That is why TEN MEN came together – to reach everyday men who are not sure how to help and often remain silent in the face of other men’s violence. TEN MEN is the first statewide effort driven by pioneering male leaders who have stepped forward and are committed to breaking that silence. For more information, visit www.ricadv.org/tenmen.

About the RICADV:

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. The RICADV was formed in 1979 to support and assist the six domestic violence prevention agencies in Rhode Island (Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center, Sojourner House, the Women’s Center of Rhode Island, and the Women’s Resource Center). The organization provides leadership to its six member agencies, strives to create justice for victims, and raises awareness around the issue of domestic violence in Rhode Island.

The RICADV’s member agencies provide a wide array of services for victims – including 24-hour hotline support, emergency shelter, support groups, counseling services, and assistance with the legal system. For more information about these organizations and services, call the statewide Helpline at 800-494-8100. If you hear or see someone being hurt, call 911 immediately.

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