BE THERE!
MEN OF COURAGE:
The First Provincial Conference
on Male Sexual Victimization

Mon March 17th and Tues March 18th 2008
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Presented by:
The Men’s Project
http://www.themensproject.ca

Sponsored by: The Ontario Victim Services Secretariat
Ministry of the Attorney General

8 Reasons to Be There:

• You agree that male sexual victimization is “common, underreported, under-recognized, and under-treated” (American Medical Association, 1998)

• To be part of the first provincial conference concerning male survivors in Ontario. Ever.

• To hear the latest in terms of knowledge, treatment and services for male survivors of childhood trauma.

• You are committed to ensuring that there are places of healing for men throughout Ontario.

• The best learning comes from both the experts in the field as well as from the voices of survivors.

• This conference is a safe place for both professionals and male survivors alike.

• To be moved, to be challenged, to be motivated.

• For your clients, your brothers, your loved ones, your community, and yourself.
On March 17 and 18th, 2008, there will be a groundbreaking Canadian gathering of helping professionals, academics, and male survivors. Its purpose is clear: to further our knowledge of male sexual victimization, and to enhance the services that address survivors’ healing and recovery.

What is Courage? It is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

What is Men of Courage? A place of learning for professional service providers and male survivors in an atmosphere of safety, trust and respect. A gathering meant to build resiliency within survivors and service providers alike. A conference dedicated to excellence.

A place like no other.

Come join us!

Be there in good company! Where else can you rub shoulders with renowned experts in the field of male sexual victimization, a former NHL star, an FBI Special Agent, a Traditional First Nations Elder, Canada’s new Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, Restorative Justice experts, Survivors’ Panels, and a selection of the best to guide us in the field of trauma and recovery.

The featured Speakers of Men of Courage include:
Jim Clemente
Jim is a former prosecutor with the New York City Law Department. He has been an FBI Agent for 20 years; half of that time he has spent in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He is a Certified Fellow of the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship, and is a recognized expert in the field of Child Sexual Victimization.
As an FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Jim has worked to stop sexual predators. In the past decade, he has focused particularly on those who prey on children over the internet. He has been an important voice for survivors in MaleSurvivor USA’s conferences over the years, describing how he overcame guilt and ended the silence surrounding his own childhood sexual abuse.
Andy Fisher, PhD, (c) OACCPP
Andy is a psychotherapist in private practice whose training is primarily in the experiential and humanistic therapies. He is a certified Gestalt therapist and a Focusing trainer. His practice is located in rural Eastern Ontario.
Andy is also a leader in the emerging field of ecopsychology, having authored the book Radical Ecopsychology: Psychology in the Service of Life (SUNY Press, 2002). He is currently the lead researcher and writer on a guide book for service providers working with male survivors. Funded by the Cornwall Public Inquiry, this initiative of The Men’s Project will be completed in late 2008.
Richard Gartner, PhD.

Richard is a New York based psychologist and trainer on issues of male sexual victimization. He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the William Alanson White Psychoanalytic Institute in New York and a Past President of MaleSurvivor: the National Organization against Male Sexual Victimization (USA).

He is also the author of Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge of Your Life after Boyhood Sexual Abuse (2005), a book for the general public, and Betrayed as Boys: Psychodynamic Treatment of Sexually Abused Men (1999) for clinicians. Richard lives in New York.

Sheldon Kennedy

Sheldon skated for three teams in his eight-year NHL career and played for Canada’s gold-medal winning team in the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championships. He is best known for his courageous decision to charge his Major Junior Hockey league coach, Graham James, with sexual assault for the abuse he suffered over a five year period while a teenager under Graham’s care. Sheldon’s subsequent decision to go public with the charges rocked the hockey world and thrust him into the media spotlight.

In 2006, Sheldon wrote Why I Didn’t Say Anything; The Sheldon Kennedy Story, an honest depiction of his experiences and an insightful look at the many realities of sexual abuse.

Arthur Lockhart, M.Ed

Art is a Professor of Justice Studies within the Police Foundations Program of Humber College in Toronto. Among his many accomplishments, he founded two innovative organizations: The Gatehouse, a community based home assisting people victimized by child abuse (www.thegatehouse.org), and Communities Advancing Valued Environments (www.communitycave.com), an organization whose mandate is to engage citizens in ways that support the well being of a community.

Art is a leading thinker in the area of restorative justice. He introduced the first training in restorative justice to the members of Toronto school systems, police, and community agencies. Art is also the author of Restorative Justice-Transforming Society, and Community Lost and Found: A conversation between two dreamers.

Fred Mathews, PhD.

Fred is a Psychologist and Director of Research at Central Toronto Youth Services (www.ctys.org). He works as a consultant to federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, on a wide range of youth issues. Dr. Mathews taught for 10 years in the Graduate School of the University of Toronto. He has chaired, given keynote addresses, and provided over 500 workshops at local, national, and international conferences in Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela.

He has authored over 50 studies, journal articles, book chapters, and resource documents on topics such as youth gangs, youth violence and aggression, crime prevention, child abuse, and male victims. He is also author of the seminal study The Invisible Boy, the first Canadian publication on male sexual victimization. Dr. Mathews has received numerous awards for his contributions to crime and violence prevention, community development, psychology in education, and children’s mental health.

Verne Roote

Verne is an Ojibway Elder from the Saugeen First Nation in Ontario. He has dedicated much of his life to assisting his people. Among his many accomplishments, He is the past Chief of the Saugeen First Nation, and the past Grand Council Chief of the Union of Ontario Indians.

For the last number of years, Verne has also worked as a teacher of traditional ways of healing. Most recently, he has been active as a facilitator for the Hearing, Healing, Hope Initiative – a cross-cultural model of recovery for male survivors in Owen Sound, Ontario. In this role, he both facilitates groups and conducts the Sweatlodge ceremonies for HHH clients.


Steve Sullivan
Steve, a long-time advocate for victims of crime, has been recently appointed to the position of the first Canadian Ombudsman for Victims of Crime (www.victimsfirst.gc.ca).
Steve began working in the victims' rights movement in 1993 as the Director of Research with Victims of Violence, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of crimes against children. In 1995, he became the Executive Director of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, and was appointed President in 1998. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of this organization which is devoted to advocacy for victims and survivors of violent crime in Canada.
Rick Goodwin, MSW RSW
Rick is both the co-founder and Executive Director of The Men’s Project (TMP). Rick's past work experience has been as a social worker, an educator and a program manager. He has provided training on gender, trauma and recovery for many years to various local, provincial, and national organizations. His work has taken him to Jamaica, England, the United States, and India.
His most recent publication is an article in Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd’hui. Rick was also the author for Health Canada’s investigation into the correlation between men's experiences of sexual violence and HIV. In 2007, Rick was the inaugural recipient of the Attorney General’s Award of Distinction for his work in "developing and implementing innovative victim service programs." Rick also coordinates TMP’s involvement with the Cornwall Public Inquiry.
* * *
Men of Courage is uniquely designed to address the needs of both male survivors and professional service providers. All conference registrants will gather together for the keynote speaker and plenary sessions. Attendees are then able to choose from a variety of selections including workshops for professional service providers only, and a dedicated survivor-only four workshop track (highly recommended for men who are still in their healing journey – led by four seasoned psychotherapists from The Men’s Project).

What more do you need to know? Access http://www.themensproject.ca:

• To register for both professionals and survivors to receive more information as conference planning unfolds.

Be there, March 17th and 18th, and help us make history!

Conference Fees:

Service Providers, Regular Rate: $265
Survivors, Regular Rate: $75
Survivors, Low Income Rate: free of charge (Ontario residents only)
Full time Students: $150 (with identification)
Workshop Presenter Rate: $150

We Welcome Canadians as well as International Friends!

Many, many thanks to the Conference Advisory Committee!

Ms. Angela Gallant, The Gatehouse, Toronto
Dr. Fred Mathews, Central Toronto Youth Services, Toronto
Mr. Rob Campney, Correctional Services of Canada, Toronto
Mr. Mike Church, Survivor Advocate
Mr. Rick Goodwin, The Men’s Project, Toronto/Cornwall

The Conference is presented by The Men’s Project: an incorporated, charitable organization based in Ottawa dedicated to
Helping men and their families build better lives.
http://www.themensproject.ca

The conference registration package is now available as a PDF.

here is the site:

http://themensproject.ca/section.php?ID=15&Lang=En&Nav=Section

and then click on the PDF.

We are starting to see some of our American colleagues sign up, and welcome both professional service providers AND survivors to this exciting conference.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach me at my coordinates below.

Hi Rick;
Great time to have a conference. Good old Saint Paddy's Day.
In more ways than one I would love to be part of it.
Being on social assistance doesn't give me that luxury.
However; aside from that I would like to ask if The Men's Project is capable of reaching out to other provinces in Canada and setting up provincial jurisdictions to allow other male rape victims a safe haven to voice their queries, vulnerabilities and pain ? I realize that funding, public education about men victimized by rape, and demographics play a big role in all this. Perhaps this is a bigger dream than anyone of us is capable of admitting. Male Rape Victims all across Canada are faced with drastically limited resources to help them on the road to recovery. In my city and province (Moncton, New Brunswick) there isn't even an official Rape Crisis Centre for women. How bad does it have to get in society when any rape victim is spurned from finding legitimate resources. New Brunswick does have Mental Health Clinics, but; sadly even they are financially strapped for resources and mental health officials who are trained to help rape victims. My reasons for speaking in your post is not to place a heavy load. I am graciously happy that The Mens Project exist in my country Canada. I guess I just needed an ear to voice my frustrations. I appreciate your time. Thanks Chris

Hey Chris:

Thanks for the note, Chris.
You have a pretty accurate take on the barriers facing many guys in many communities in Canada. it all seems like baby steps we are taking. There may be some promise in ontario when the Cornwall Public Inquiry is over - creating places of healing for men in each Ontario community is part of our overall messaging (as an agency we have standing in the inquiry). Still that doesn't help Moncton or you in that regard, and I do hear your frustration.
what this issue needs is a million man march to make it visible in Canada. we are a long ways off in terms of this, but wedobenefit from connecting with other survivors, and other survivor groups, up here in the great white north.
I suggest that you may want to sign up to our agency's electronic newsletter (go thru our website to hook up) as we will be reporting what all goes down in Toronto.
Be well. Rick

Hey Brothers:

An update on the conference build, and some brilliant news to boot!

Our conference numbers are now around 260 - we hope to have 300 for the event itself. So there is still time to register if you are thinking about it - some workshops have filled out, so I would encourage registering asap.

Apart from the "luminaries" as mentioned above (including MS's own Richard Gartner and Jim Clemente), we have just gotten word that the Grand National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, will be providing a keynote address over the lunch hour on the 18th. Phil will be speaking of Canada's legacy of residential schools for Aboriginal children, and the healing process.

We will be doing this as a luncheon - the costs will be on top of the conference fee, but we expect those costs will be modest -in the $20 range.

We are already receiving some media revolving around the event. Sheldon Kennedy will be on CBC's The Hour, - on April 18th.

Keep spreading the good news - lets make this a sell out event and really get these services on the map in Canada!