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Conference paper

Against the grain : young men and anti-violence peer-education programs in schools

Nolan Alles
South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, Victoria

Presented at:
The role of schools in crime prevention
Carlton Crest Hotel, Melbourne
30 September-1 October 2002

Abstract

Working with year 7 to 12 girls and boys around the south east of Melbourne, the Respect Protect Connect injury-prevention program has jointly run out of Women's Health in the South East (WHISE) in Frankston and the Men's Area of the South East Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) in East Bentleigh since 1998. Using dynamic peer-education and single-sex group-work processes, Respect Protect Connect disseminates jargon-free information to thousands of young students of both sexes on numerous violence and gender-related issues each year.

This paper however will specifically focus on the boys' component of the program and the attempt by its peer educators to enter into discourse with schoolboys on issues associated with violence, masculinity and crime. As such, Respect Protect Connect will be shown as a cogent example of the proactive role that school communities and young men together can play in eliminating crime and violence.

Moreover, it illustrates that young men - both as peer educators and students - also have the potential to be active participants in helping to facilitate these processes, and not just produce the need for them in the first place.