Man Up Calls on Young Leaders to Stop VAW

Press Release:

Man Up Calls on Young Leaders to Stop Violence Against Women at Global Summit, World Cup 2010

Immediate Call for Applications

NEW YORK, December 13, 2009 – During The World Cup 2010 in South Africa, Man Up will bring together 200 young men and women from 50 countries at the launch of a five-year campaign to stop violence against women and girls. The call for applications to become a delegate to Man Up’s Young Leaders Summit is being announced today.

Delegates to the Summit will learn how to plan and execute initiatives in their native countries and will be offered a multitude of resources and guidance from renowned non-governmental organizations, athletes, musicians and artists throughout the five-year campaign. This same cadre of delegates will gather again in Brazil at The World Cup 2014 to share their experiences and demonstrate how youth can make the world a safer place for women and girls.

“Half the world’s population is at risk, and has been since the beginning of recorded history,” declares Karen Robinson, Co-Founder, Managing Director of Man Up, and former Education Director at Amnesty International, referring to the statistic that one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. “Man Up is committed to changing this persistent injustice by supporting young people in leading a grassroots, but globally connected and supported movement.”

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, legendary South African musician and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, describes Man Up as “a brilliant campaign which captures the heart of young people. Using music and soccer as a catalyst for change is the best way to motivate young leaders to transform how women and girls are treated in every country, in every city, in every home around the world.”

“Violence against women is not just a women’s issue, it affects all of us,” says Jimmie Briggs, Man Up’s Co-Founder, Executive Director and renowned author, journalist and activist. “Everyone needs to be part of the solution. We owe it to our daughters and their daughters.”

Man Up’s call for applications falls during 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Violence, an annual campaign that has been used as an organizing strategy around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.

Visit Man Up’s website to download the application: www.manupcampaign.org.

About Man Up
Man Up is an international campaign that mobilizes young leaders in a movement to stop violence against women and girls. Harnessing the universal power of music and sport, Man Up provides innovative training, resources and support to young men and women and the organizations that collaborate with them.

Man Up was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2009 in partnership with Vital Voices Global Partnership. Man Up is funded, in part, by NoVo Foundation, V-Day and Ms. Foundation, and is fiscally sponsored by the Alliance for Peace Building, a 501(c)(3) public charity.

Contact:
Jessica Greer Morris
Principal, Communications
917 309 0548
jessica@manupcampaign.org