ENGAGING BLACK MEN AND BOYS ABSW Non-Violence Project BY DIVINE GBEVE-ONYENIKE
This past year, the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW), in recognition of the limited culturally-specific resources available to African Nova Scotian men and boys, provided two six-series workshops that focused on encouraging Black men and boys to take an active role in ending men’s violence against women. The sessions provided culturally-specific information and resources on how Black men can make a difference in preventing dating and domestic violence against women and girls.
They were able to identify how to step in when witnessing violence or hearing negative talk about women in their families, schools or communities.
Throughout this series, participants were able to learn several skills, including: what healthy relationships and healthy
24 Connection | Winter 2021
communication look like, how to have and show respect for women and girls, model respectful behavior with other men and boys, and how to be a “responsible bystander.” They also had opportunities to develop skills and practices that reflect leadership in the community and in the school environment. The Black Men and Boys Nonviolence Project (BMBNP) had six objectives: 1. B uild awareness and education around the use of violence for control as a pervasive, global problem. 2. E xamine the negative effects of violent behavior on relationships, partners, children, friends, and the participant himself to help create a willingness to change. 3. C onsider the cultural and social contexts in which violence is used against a partner. This can include physical violence, emotional/mental abuse, sexual abuse, and economic abuse.
