Empowering Young Men In Ending Sexual Exploitation

“Another Academic Year Closes…”

 Progress Report on the Implementation of

CAASE’s Prevention Curriculum:

Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation

May, 2012

“I learned that over 90% of women involved with prostitution want to leave, but can’t.”

“I learned it can be harmful to disrespect women.”

“I will treat women, even if I don’t know them, with respect, because you never know what they may be going through, alone.”

“I will stop watching porn.”

“I will never go to strip clubs.”

“I will hold my friends accountable for their actions, and be more respectful and responsible myself.”

“We will plan a rally in this neighborhood to raise awareness.”

These are just some of the responses given by the young men who participated in Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation this year.  As the school year closes, CAASE can report that over 1,000 young men from 12 different schools in Chicago have participated in the 4-session curriculum.  Some of the teachers and counselors from these schools have reported that students have planned a variety of awareness-raising efforts, including neighborhood rallies and YouTube videos, as well as service projects like clothing drives for domestic violence shelters.  They have also noticed students in the halls and in the cafeteria holding each other accountable for their language and actions toward women.

In addition to Empowering Young Men…, CAASE has created and implemented Empowering Young Women… as a companion curriculum for schools with co-ed classes.  This year CAASE has also created several one-session workshops covering topics like trafficking, sexual harassment, consent, and masculinity which are becoming very popular.  During this spring alone, nearly 650 students—both young men and young women—have participated in the new workshops.

With your continued support of CAASE’s educational outreach, more and more young people are becoming aware of the problems that sexual violence and exploitation presents to their community.  As their awareness becomes action, violence and harm will slowly begin to decrease.  Thank you again for supporting our outreach efforts, because with support like yours we will be able to continue building a generation of allies who stand together against sexual harm.