The grants to engage men and boys as allies in the prevention of violence against women and girls program supports projects that develop and implement strategies that create educational programming…

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded a $346,728 Project Grant under the Consolidated And Technical Assistance Grant Program to Address Children and Youth Experiencing Domestic and Sexual Violence and Engage Men and Boys as Allies (CFDA 16.888). The 36-month grant, awarded on October 1, 2024, will support Options for Youth in implementing the "What's Up with Manhood" project to engage teenage boys aged 14-19 in South Lawndale, Chicago as allies in preventing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Key activities include fostering understanding of gender equity and healthy masculinity, ensuring high school graduation with community engagement capstone projects, providing male mentorship, developing a gender-transformative curriculum, and expanding the program to an additional high school to serve 50 more participants.

The grants to engage men and boys as allies in the prevention of violence against women and girls program supports projects that develop and implement strategies that create educational programming and community organizing to encourage men and boys to work as allies with women and girls to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking. With this funding, options for youth will implement the what's up with manhood project to engage teenage boys, age 14-19, as allies in the effort to reduce and prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in south lawndale, chicago. Options for youth, in collaboration with WM initiative, LLC (WMI), will: 1) foster understanding and acceptance of gender equity, healthy masculinity, and healthy peer relationships among teenage boys in historically marginalized and underserved communities; 2) ensure high school graduation for participants with capstone projects engaging in the school community, allowing graduating participants to share their experiences and gain with a wider audience; 3) provide ongoing individual support through a personal relationship with a male mentor; 4) develop the whats up with manhood curriculum implementing evidence-based gender-transformative training modules and exercises to encourage critical analysis of gender norms, challenge homophobia, build skills to question harmful masculine norms, and advocate for more equitable behaviors; 5) hire two additional male mentors, creating the program capacity to expand whats up into an additional south lawndale high school and enroll an additional 50 teenage boys in the program; and 6) develop a curriculum for group training sessions, provide an orientation to the program, and help young boys begin to think critically about how being a man is defined in their families and communities. This project addresses the OVW priority area of advancing equity and tribal sovereignty and the program-specific priority of technology-facilitated abuse. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.