Click here to see a video of MVP in action.

The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) National Program, founded in 1993 by Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS), is a leadership program that motivates student-athletes and student leaders to play a central role in solving problems that historically have been considered "women's issues": rape, battering, and sexual harassment.

Until recently, few campus or community-based programs have encouraged young men to work actively on these issues. The mixed gender, racially diverse MVP Program, composed of former professional and college athletes, motivates men and women to work together in preventing gender violence.

Program Goals
The four main goals of the MVP Program are to:

• Raise Awareness of participants about the level of men's verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of women.
• Challenge Thinking by countering mainstream messages about gender, sex and violence.
• Open Dialogue by creating a safe environment for men and women to share their opinions and experiences.
• Inspire Leadership by empowering participants with concrete opinions to effect change in their respective communities.

The Bystander Approach to Prevention
Utilizing a unique bystander approach to prevention, the MVP Program views student-athletes and student leaders not as potential perpetrators or victims, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers. This emphasis reduces the defensiveness men often feel and the helplessness women often feel when discussing issues of men's violence against women. Participants in MVP sessions learn to serve as role models working to prevent this violence.

The MVP approach does not involve finger pointing, nor does it blame participants for the widespread problem of gender violence. Instead, it sounds a positive call for proactive, preventive behavior and leadership.

The MVP Playbook
MVP provides interactive trainings to high school, college and community-based leadership groups, sports teams, teachers, coaches, administrators, as well as campus-based professionals. In the sessions, MVP staff facilitates a series of real life scenarios from the MVP Playbook. Participants discuss concrete options for intervention in situations ranging from sexist comments overheard in the locker room to an attempted rape involving alcohol.

Click here to see a scenario from the MVP Male Playbook

Click here to see a scenario from the MVP Female Playbook

The MVP Supplemental Exercise and Curriculum Guide
In addition to the MVP Playbook, the MVP Program utilizes a number of awareness raising exercises to stimulate an interactive dialogue. Many of these exercises use examples from popular culture, such as movies, music videos, and television to illustrate the socio-cultural influences on the societal epidemic of men's violence against women. Typically, the racially-diverse MVP staff provides both mixed-gender and single gender sessions. Both interactive sessions consist of awareness-raising activities and scenarios that utilize the program's key teaching tool, the MVP Playbook.

MVP Institute
The MVP Institute for Gender Violence Prevention and Education provides certification in gender violence prevention and education. Male and female student affairs staff and athletic personnel are encouraged to attend. Tuition for this "train the trainers" is $500 per person for non-Consortium members and $350 per person for members. This fee includes a full copy of the MVP curriculum, certificate of completion, and continental breakfast each day. A limited number of scholarships are available. Check back soon for future dates.

National Consortium for Academics and Sports
& the Center for the Study of Sports in Society
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) National Program
University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd.
Business Administration II, Suite 113
Orlando, FL 32816-1400
Phone: (407) 823-3337
Fax: (407) 823-3542

MVP Links:
Curriculum
Training Options
Training Schedule
In Action
In the Media
FAQs
Staff
Testimonials