It Starts With You: ETFO Information Session.

Thursday, November 24, 2011
Open to all ETFO members

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and White Ribbon Campaign
invite you to attend an information session to learn about grades 6 - 8 educational
resources and tools you can use in your school to promote gender equality and end
gender-based violence. These tools will be relevant for use with all students and will
include an emphasis on engaging boys and young men.

We will share lesson plans and activities to help you commemorate December 6,
Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and
the 22nd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. These resources will help you fulfill
aspects of the curriculum related to promoting healthy relationships, preventing
harassment, and creating safer school environments. We will also provide
participants with an opportunity to share ideas and lessons learned in promoting
gender equality and ending gender-based violence in our schools.

When: Thursday, November 24, 2011
Time: 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location: ETFO provincial office
480 University Avenue, 13th floor

Please mail or fax this form by Friday November 18th 2011 to register.

You can also register by emailing Susy Costa at scosta@etfo.org.

It Starts With You: Rolfe's Story "What if it was your mother?"

Rolfe discusses his evolution to manhood. He explores how the role models in his life mold his perceptions on what being a man means. Rolfe reveals his experience of having his father as the strong and powerful person was a distorted view of masculinity. He shares how he evolves towards becoming a better man by modeling himself through the actions of his mother.

Through his life experiences he shows how the media and society can distort a young person's perception of what being a good human being is and how they can share a healthy relationship. Rolfe shows that through his experiences and learning through his mistakes and realizing that his mother is a true role model Rolfe begins to explore masculinity and manhood. He uses this knowledge to form discussions with the young men and women he works with regarding healthy, positive relationships with each other.

Please visit the website and take the quiz. Learn more about the campaign and get involved!

What is the best advice you've ever received? Join the It Starts With You YouTube Channel and create and share your own stories.

Please join our facebook page and keep informed of new videos and information.

Ger Pumped! New PSA Launched. #wamto.

The awesome team at Espresso has put together another great PSA for our 2011 Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Toronto event.



Register on-line today to participate in this unique event and start raising pledges for a great cause.

• 
  $50 donation will expose 10 young people in Canada to provocative campaigns that encourage men and boys to think about their use of language, and of their definition of strength.
• $100 gift will help provide 10 "Campaign in a Box" ready to use educational activities for teachers and community leaders.
• $150 gift to White Ribbon Campaign will provide one “Who’s the Man?” workshop for a high school level classroom of 30 students.

These workshops and presentations go where other workshops rarely do. Mixing storytelling, interactive activities, open discussions and information sharing we explore issues that make a difference in the lives of young people. Exploring the fundamental issues of who we are as men and women, healthy relationships, gender equality, harassment, safe schools, homophobia we work with young people to help them live violence-free lives.

The White Ribbon Campaign's unique approach to working with young people, especially young men and boys, offers them tools and resources to not only improve their own lives but also to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of their communities

A Tribute to Jack Layton

The entire White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) family is shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Jack Layton today. He died peacefully with his family by his side. We extend our deepest condolences to Olivia, Mike and Sarah and his entire great, big family.

Jack was one of the co-founders and visionaries of the WRC, back in 1991. He felt men had to have both a role and responsibility in working to end violence against women, that we needed to step up our efforts in promoting gender equality, and be accountable to challenging the most harmful aspects of masculinity.

Along with Michael Kaufman, Ron Sluser and others, Jack launched his indefatigable energy into the WRC. Recently his son Mike shared with me the fact that the very first WRC office was actually in Mike’s bedroom – the bed just got cleaned off when Mike was back home from school!

I have talked to many men who never otherwise would have understood the positive role they could play in working to end violence against women, if it weren’t for Jack. Handing out ribbons in Union Station, making donations, offering up everything from office space to websites, few people could effectively say no to him when it came to the WRC.

From those humble beginnings, WRC is now the world’s largest effort of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls. From Mike’s bedroom to over 60 countries around the world, men have taken up the dream of ending gender based violence. Governments around the world, NGO’s, and the UN have all recognized the importance of this effort.

This is a truly remarkable accomplishment, one that would not have happened without Jack. As one small piece of his legacy, it will continue to have a tremendous impact.

When I took on the role of Executive Director at WRC, I had the chance early on to meet with Jack one-on-one. While he freely shared stories from those early years, it was very clear his intentions were not to discuss the past with me, but the future.

He felt the time was right for great things to happen, for men to begin to move en masse to this idea that we could do better, be more caring and compassionate in our lives. That as men we could stop being afraid of equality, that we could stop being defensive about male privilege, that we could embrace the fact that we all benefit from a world with less violence against women and girls, and ultimately against each other.

I am honoured to call Jack an inspiration, a mentor, and a friend. Another time, feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the work, he told me “Always have a dream that will outlast your lifetime,” and I have thought about our work to end violence against women in that way ever since.

There are too many dreams left after your passing my friend.

But I choose to leave with another favourite quote of yours, “Don’t ever let them tell you it can’t be done.” Rest in peace Jack, we will all miss you dearly.

Todd Minerson
Executive Director
White Ribbon Campaign

So Much to Get Pumped About!

With only 42 days left until the 2011 Walk A Mile In Her Shoes® event in Toronto, were starting to field a lot of questions about the event. One of the most common questions we get as the organizers of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is, "Where do I go to find shoes to fit me?"

We know it's not always easy finding shoes, especially if you are a man's size 10 and above. So we put together a video of a recent shopping excursions to give you some help. Near the end of the video we also give you tips and advice for when shopping for your shoes and how to help alleviate the potential fear and discomfort some men experience when out shopping.