Hey folks,

Hope finals are going well!

Please check out the information below for the Mentors in Violence Prevention
program (MVP).  Several conversations about this program have wanted to make
sure those folks involved in SAFE were considered for this program.  If you are
interested or know of someone you think might be interested, please contact
Erin Pullin (email below) with a nomination.

Thanks and keep on truckin'
-Linds

--------------------------------------------------------------


We need your help identifying leaders, educators, facilitators, trainers, and
active students at UVM who have an interest in, or have the potential to
influence others and work on countering negative messages about gender, sex and
violence!

MENTORS IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM (MVP)
Brought to you by Athletics, Greek Life, Women's & Gender Studies Department,
Residential Life, Women's Center, Dean of Students Office and the Center for
Health & Wellbeing.

This is an official call for nominations of staff, faculty, graduate and
undergraduate students to participate in the *Mentors in Violence Prevention
Program (MVP) that is being brought to campus in January from 1/26-1/28.* This
is a rare opportunity to participate in an intensive training that will offer a
variety of skills, experiences, leadership opportunities and sustained culture
change at UVM. *There are only 30 spaces* in this training available and we are
looking for campus leaders who would like to participate and to bring their
experiences in this program to campus organizations, classrooms, work-groups,
teams, activists, friends, residents, community members, administrators and
areas where they can directly help create sustained change efforts.

*Goals of the MVP Program:*

   * Raise awareness of participants about the level of men?s verbal,
     emotional, physical and sexual abuse of women.

   * Challenge thinking by countering mainstream messages about gender,
     sex and violence.

   * Open dialogue by creating a safe environment for men and women to
     share their opinions and experiences.

   * Inspire leadership by empowering participants with concrete
     options to effect change in their respective communities.

The MVP model utilizes a unique bystander approach to prevention and
intervention that empowers leaders to think more critically and personally
about gender violence. This approach decreases male defensiveness and female
helplessness and enables participants to develop concrete options for
intervention in the face of abusive behavior.

The heart of the model is interactive discussion, in mixed-gender classes and
workshops, using real-life scenarios that speak to the experiences of young men
and women in college, and other areas of social life.

*TO NOMINATE:

Please send an email to [log in to unmask] that includes the nominee's name,
phone number if you have it and/or email address along with a few sentences
describing why they would be good potential candidates for this opportunity. 
Please nominate as soon as possible as space is limited and we will accept
applications/nominations until all spots are filled.

>Time Commitment
Please keep in mind that the time commitment is something to consider, the
training will be held on Thursday, 1/26 from 2-8pm, Friday 1/27 from 2-8pm and
Saturday 1/28 from 9-1pm. Meals and snacks will be provided, and there will
also be some follow up strategy planning for how to share this knowledge with
the UVM campus community.

>Nomination Details--Who? Can I Nominate Myself? What? What Might I Be Doing
After the Training?
Please feel free to nominate yourself, friends, students, staff, and/or faculty
who you think would have the greatest potential to impact UVM through
conversations, facilitated dialogues, possibly presentations, or classes
depending on level of experience, position, and interest.  We're looking for
folks who have an interest in reducing gender/sexual violence at UVM by
shifting the culture to one of respect, compassion, dialogue and challenging
each other.

Nominees will be chosen based on their desire to make an impact, ability to
influence one or more communities at UVM, and leadership abilities as described
by their nominator or by applying individually by emailing me their name,
contact information and a paragraph about why they want to participate.  We're
looking for a broad , diverse cross-section of students, staff, and faculty
from all over UVM to raise individual and collective awareness about how to
combat sexual and gender violence.

For more information about MVP, based at Northeastern University's Center for
the Study of Sport in Society, visit www.sportinsociety.org.



-- 
Erin McGinnis Pullin
Student Wellness Coordinator
Health Promotion Services
Center for Health & Wellbeing
University of Vermont
Telephone: (802)656.0364
Fax: (802)656-9537
Email: [log in to unmask]
www.uvm.edu/health

"To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day,
to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human
being can fight; and never stop fighting."
--e. e. cummings

"Health is not simply the absence of sickness." --Hannah Green

-- 
Lindsey B Carfagna
Arts, Culture, and Education Committee Coordinator
-UVM Program Board
Founder and President
-SAFE: Student Athletes For Equity
[log in to unmask]
412-848-8588

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King Jr.