Youth conference workshop addresses rape, battering, harassment

By Maggie Plummer

MISSOULA — "The level of men's violence against women is out of control."

That's what presenter Ron Liszak told high school students in a "Mentors for Violence Prevention" (MVP) workshop, part of the recent 5th Annual Missoula Indian Youth Conference - held in conjunction with the annual Kyi Yo powwow at the University of Montana.

"Native Pride is Still Alive" was the official name of this year's conference, held April 20 in the University Center.

The event brought together high school students from all over Montana and featured keynote speaker Michael Beers - stand up comic, UM student, and staff volunteer for the Montana Youth Leadership Forum.

Afternoon break-out workshops included Salish stick game, presented by Jason L. HeavyRunner; physical science demonstrations by former UM physics and astronomy teacher Jim Semmelroth; and the MVP session, led by Liszak and UM senior Molly Madden.

The violence prevention workshop covered a range of abuse-related topics, from date rape to respect issues.

MVP is a gender violence prevention and education program that seeks to reduce men's violence against women by raising awareness, opening dialogue, challenging thinking, and inspiring leadership.

MVP of Missoula is a program of WORD - Women's Opportunity and Resource Development, Inc. Liszak coordinates the MVP program in Missoula County schools, and presents MVP to adults around the state.

Last year, one in four women reported being a victim of rape, he said.

The violence crosses all boundaries, including race, income level, and geography, he explained.

It includes verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse and it usually involves someone the victim trusts. These are learned behaviors that center on power and control, and they can be unlearned, according to Liszak.

"Men and women must work together to solve this problem," he commented. "We need more people to stand up, to say it's not cool to disrespect (each other)."

The MVP session used "real life" scenarios to inspire discussions among the students, to help them recognize all forms of gender violence. The program tries to provide strategies for speaking out against such violence, so that students can become empowered bystanders able to confront abusive peers and challenge discrimination.

For more information, call (406) 543-3550. Or, visit www.wordinc.org