CCADV is partnering with the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence on the statewide rollout of Coaching Boys Into Men and Coaching Girls TO Leaders throughout Connecticut. Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) is a violence prevention program developed by Futures Without Violence for athletic coaches to inspire them to teach their young male athletes about the importance of respect for themselves, others, and particularly women and girls. The three pillars of CBIM are RESPECT, INTEGRITY, and NONVIOLENCE.
Coaching Girls To Leaders (CGTL) was compiled by CCADV to give coaches the tools to help girls succeed in life. CGTL is based on a collection of lesson plans from A Thin Line, Athletes as Leaders, RAINN, Girls Circle, and Adidas “She Breaks Barriers,” The three pillars of CGTL are CONFIDENCE, RESILIENCE, and RESPECT.
Athletic coaches play an extremely influential and unique role in the lives of young athletes. Because of these relationships, coaches are poised to positively influence how both young men and young women think and behave, both on and off the field. CBIM is the only evidence-based prevention program that trains and motivates high school coaches to teach their young male athletes healthy relationship skills and that violence never equals strength. Meanwhile, CGTL seeks to create a school environment that is healthy and safe for all students by also teaching young female athletes healthy relationships skills and the importance of respect.
Both programs are specifically developed for coaches to be easily incorporated into regular coaching strategy and practice sessions. Over the course of a season, CBIM coaches lead their players through brief weekly activities that address themes such as personal responsibility, respectful behavior, relationship abuse, consent, and resilience. Participating coaches receive a set of 12 training cards, each with a weekly topic and guidance for discussion.
As a national program developed by Futures Without Violence, CBIM has been proven to work! In 2012, CBIM underwent a rigorous three year evaluation funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The study found that athletes who participated in the program were significantly more likely to intervene when witnessing abusive or disrespectful behaviors among their peers, and were also more likely to report less abuse perpetration. CBIM has its own website where you can learn more - www.coachescorner.org.
CCADV will focus our prevention efforts on this initiative, rolling out CBIM and CGTL trainings to participating coaches and local domestic violence advocates across the state.
Are you a coach interested in being trained on CBIM or CGTL? Please let us know as we’re happy to help you build and sustain CBIM and CGTL in your athletic program. Please contact Linda Blozie, Director of Training & Prevention, at teamup@ctcadv.org or 860.282.7899.
