Program Guide

The Program

The Men of Code program has four goals:

  1. Educate: Educate young men about violence against women and girls and what they can do to prevent and end it.
  2. Empower: Empower young men to become leaders in the campaign to end violence against women and girls.
  3. Collaborate: Work with young men to create a city-wide public education campaign engaging other men and boys to become allies in preventing violence against women and girls.
  4. Share: Share lessons learned and spread the message and mission.

The Goals

Goals should be HARD. (Heartfelt, Animated, Required and Difficult). Here are ours:

Short-term goals and outcomes within the next 1–2 years:

  • Football coaches will know how to recognize and respond to dating and domestic violence on their campus. The coaches will also help the players see when they are using language or displaying attitudes  that contribute to the cultural intolerance for violence against women.
  • Friendship Collegiate players will understand dating and domestic violence and feel empowered to speak up when they witness it. They will also lead empowering and positive messaging campaigns to discuss dating violence at their school.

Long-term goals and outcomes within the next 3–5 years:

  • Friendship Collegiate staff and athletes will be committed to ending violence against women and have policies and procedures in place to address domestic and dating violence immediately.
  • The athletes will not tolerate abusive language or behavior and step up to address dating and domestic violence on their campus. They will also lead the school in ending dating and domestic violence.
  • Men of Code will expand its program to 5 other middle and high school athletic programs in the Washington, DC area.

The Curriculum of Men of Code for Players and Coaches

For Players:

  • Week 1: What it means to be a leader
    • What is a leader? What makes a leader? How can I be a leader on and off the football field? We answer these questions during the first session of the program.
  • Week 2: Exploring Masculinity
    • What does it mean to be a man? During the second week of the program, we explore masculinity and its impact on leadership.
  • Week 3: Dating Violence and Healthy Relationships
    • What is the social definition of domestic violence and healthy relationships? What is the cycle of violence? How do abusers use power and control over their victims? We talk about these important factors and definitions in the third week.
  • Week 4: Consent vs. Sexual Violence
    • What is sexual assault? What exactly is consent? We dive into these issues in the fourth week.
  • Week 5: Bystander Intervention
    • How can you support survivors? How can you help your friends become survivors? We discuss these skills in fifth week.
  • Week 6: Conclusion
    • We cover the challenges and concerns the players have after learning about Domestic Violence and how they can take a stand against it.

 

For Coaches:

  • Session 1: Discussing the purpose of the Coach’s training.
    • Coaches learn more about the Men of Code program and the role they play.
  • Session 2: What is Domestic and Sexual Violence? How do abusers utilize power and control over their victims?
    • Coaches review the social definition of domestic violence and “role play” In Her Shoes where they put themselves in the place of a woman suffering from abuse.
  • Session 3: How do you recognize domestic and dating violence?
    • They discuss how the batterer will act in different stages and how to recognize the Cycle of Violence.
  • Session 4: How can you respond to domestic and sexual violence?
    • Coaches learn and discuss many options for teens suffering from abuse in DC. They also participate in a case study to deal with issues first-hand.