New Aspire NY Partnership aims to steer men away from domestic violence
STATEWIDE — PREVENTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS THE GOAL OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP among former NFL Quarterback Don McPherson, local YMCA branches and the state of New York’s Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, that Aspire NY Initiative will work with 140 YMCAs across New York State to deliver programming for young men and boys. The Aspire NY program is based on McPherson’s concept of aspirational masculinity, a philosophical approach to engaging men and boys in conversation and encouraging them to live in AWE (Authentic, Whole and Evolving).
Since 1995, McPherson has done public speaking tours, engaging young men about gender-based violence. The author of “You Throw Like a Girl: The Blind Spot of Masculinity,” he has testified before the United States Congress and has worked closely with the U.S. Departments of Education and Defense on issues of sexual violence in education and the military, respectively. This new partnership with the Alliance of New York State YMCAs will bring McPherson’s Aspire NY program to leadership, staff and members at YMCAs all across the state.
There are 36 regional YMCAs in New York, with a total of 140 individual YMCA facilities among them. Each year, the Alliance serves 1.5 million New Yorkers through its programs, including after school and summer camp programs.
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