"Given how nascent men’s engagement is to IPV prevention, and given the paucity of literature in this area, it is proving very helpful to work closely with… participants to learn from their experience. At this stage, practice-informed evaluation is critical." - Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence staff
The DELTA FOCUS (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances, Focusing on Outcomes for Communities United with States) program supported domestic violence coalitions to identify, implement, and evaluate programs that are theoretically or empirically linked to reducing IPV, or decreasing risk factors or increasing protective factors for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
DELTA FOCUS grantees worked to prevent IPV at the national, state and local levels by implementing strategies to change the environments and conditions in which people live, work and play. To do this, grantees addressed economic and social policies, processes, and norms that shape the lives of individuals and communities. This involved implementing strategies that impact issues such as education, employment, reducing gender bias, and more.
The coalitions learned important lessons along their journey. Some lessons are specific to one type of approach while some are more broadly applicable for implementing and evaluating community-based approaches. The goal of sharing these stories is for others in the violence prevention field to benefit from this collective learning. This includes learning more about existing field-based programs and practices, discovering what worked or did not work in implementation, and considering how to approach evaluation or develop a more rigorous evaluation than was possible for the DELTA FOCUS domestic violence coalitions.
DELTA FOCUS stories each feature 1) a story summary, 2) a full printable story, 3) key lessons learned and highlighted strategies, 4) tools for adaptation, 5) highlighted projects, and 6) related resources from DELTA FOCUS grantees.
This story features lessons learned from three coalitions in Alaska, Ohio, and Rhode Island that implemented approaches to engage men and boys in IPV prevention: Alaska Men Choose Respect, Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN), and Ten Men. The three coalitions’ approaches provide men a clear point of entry in the movement, an opportunity to establish a personal commitment to IPV prevention and concrete activities to help prevent IPV in their lives and communities. Their approaches focus on media messaging, social norms campaigns, networking/coalition work, peer support, mentorship, and skill building around leveraging community influence to impact change. Their experiences highlight the value of taking a learning approach in an area where there is limited information on potential barriers and facilitators to implementation.
Tools for Adaptation
- COMPASS: A Guide for Men (2014) by the Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault and Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
- Ohio DELTA FOCUS Case Study Final Report (June 2018) by Justin Carter, Rebecca Cline, Megan Crouch, Lori Jones and Sandra Ortega for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. See “Approach 1: Engaging Men in Primary Prevention of IPV” (pp. 8-18)
- Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN) Evaluation Report (December 2015) by Sandra Ortega
- Infographic: OHMAN Gender-Based Violence Prevention Training Roadmap (2018) by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network
- Ten Men Engagement Description (Revised June 2018) from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Brochure: Ten Men: Engage. Educate. Mobilize. from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Poster: 2017 Ten Men Public Awareness Campaign: It’s Not My Problem from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Highlighted Projects
- Ohio Domestic Violence Network: Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN)
- Juneau Community Coalition: Alaska Men Choose Respect
- Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Ten Men
Related Resources from DELTA FOCUS Grantees
- Keychain Cards: #CommittedMen by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, Inc.
- Posters: What is your commitment? by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, Inc.
- Program Brochure: Skin to Skin Contact for Fathers and their Babies from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Skin to Skin Evaluation Summary from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence
