Winds of change

A First! DV Council Awards Grant to Men’s Rights Organization



Friday, March 19, 2010

By Abusegate Bob

“We believe this is historic in that to our knowledge this is the first time a domestic violence council has officially connected with an established men’s rights organization.”

See below…

Adam Gettinger-Brizuela has been an activist for many years. In 2008 he started the Paternal Opportunities; Programs & Services program (POPS), “To facilitate the support and empowerment of men as equal parents in every respect, for the benefit of children and society.”

Adam explained that, “POPS represents a pro-active effort on the part of fathers’ and men’s rights activists to take their place among those who are serving the community. Just as we believe that men have a rightful, and important, place in the lives of their children, it follows that we believe that supporters of men’s rights have a place in the social services. POPS is based on the philosophy of rightful inclusion, and does not seek to take anything away from services for women or mothers, only to add to and amplify them, for the benefit of all.”

In 2009 the San Diego Domestic Violence Council awarded POPS for a community education project called “Changing Men’s Culture” which focused on carrying a message of self-restraint as a solution to interpersonal violence. The project was very successful and presented to over 150 people, most of them men in recovery from addiction.

POPS volunteers provide information and support for single and joint-custody fathers and have served on panels and committees, including the County Service Improvement Project, Source Selection Committees, the Family & Youth Roundtable’s Focus Group on fathers’ programs and the 2009 Safe Start conference. A founder of POPS was the co-keynote speaker at the Co-Occurring Disorders Conference in 2009. POPS volunteers have also made educational presentations on father friendliness to incoming social workers at the San Diego County Department of Child Welfare Services.

POPS all-volunteer staff includes one member with a master’s degree in human behavior (bachelor’s in criminal justice), and a graduate student in social work. But the real engines powering POPS are the outreach and support volunteers, many of them actual or former clients of POPS.

POPS has built friendly, cooperative working relationships with numerous local organizations, including the Domestic Violence Council’s Men’s Leadership Forum, the United African American Ministerial Council, the San Diego County Departments of Child Welfare, Alcohol & Drug Treatment and Mental Health Services, the Coalition for Abused Refugees and Immigrants, the YWCA Cortez Hill residential program, the local chapter of the National Association for the Mentally Ill, and the American Coalition for Fathers & Children.

Adam believed that a men’s program should be associated with an organization for men. Hence, in early 2010, Adam joined NCFM and POPS became part of the National Coalition For Men, a 501 (c) 3 organization.

Founded in 1977, NCFM is the oldest men’s rights organization in America with members throughout the U.S. and in several countries. NCFM is committed to the removal of harmful gender-based stereotypes, particularly on the impact on men and boys. NCFM serves men, their children, families and the women who love them.

Yesterday, March 17, 2010, the San Diego Domestic Violence Council awarded POPS/NCFM a small grant to produce a short video about the POPS program. We believe this is historic in that to our knowledge this is the first time a domestic violence council has officially connected with an established men’s rights organization. In so doing it’s hoped this small association will pave the way for similar relationships and toward better understanding the needs of our community.

Adam Gettinger-Brizuela and San Diego Domestic Violence Council President Dawn Griffin deserve considerable credit for making this happen. Thank you both…very much.

Harry Crouch
President National Coalition For Men
932 C Street, Suite B
San Diego, CA 92101
619-231-1909


Source:click here