Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) is a violence prevention program for athletic coaches designed to inspire them to teach their young, male athletes about the importance of respect for themselves, others, and particularly women and girls.
Why is it important?
Many people judge athletic accomplishments by counting wins and losses, but some coaches will tell you that their legacy is much more personal. Every day millions of lives are devastated by violence in the home. Some are particularly vulnerable with 1 in 3 women reporting physical or sexual abuse by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.
Teenagers, like adults, sometimes experience violence and abuse in their young relationships as well. In fact, 1 in 3 teenagers reports knowing a friend or peer who has been physically hurt by their partner.
CBIM is a program that helps build healthy relationships and prevent violence-stoping it before it even starts.
Why coaches?
Winning games is important to every coach; however, it’s not the only goal. Athletic coaches can play an influential role in the lives of young men, often serving as life-long mentors to the boys they coach. Because of this unique relationship, coaches are poised to positively influence how young men think and behave on and off the field. Whether it’s in talks with the team, practice sessions, game days, or simply casual conversation, coaches have numerous opportunities to teach early and often that violence has no place in relationships.
Why athletes?
By and large, athletes are often popular and influential leaders among their peers. The qualities of a successful athlete such as discipline, cooperation, and integrity, are also the building blocks to becoming a respectful individual and a role model for others.
About the program
Since the launch of CBIM in 2001, thousands of coaches around the world have signed up in support.
Over the course of a season, CBIM coaches lead their players through brief weekly activities that address themes such as personal responsibility, respectful behavior, and relationship abuse. teams are encouraged to involve fans, parents, faculty, other students, and school administrators in support of CBIM’s respect message. To learn more, please visit www.CoachesCorner.org or email jmilani@ywcacin.org
Coaching Boys into Men is a program of Futures Without Violence, formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund, a non-profit organization that works to end violence against women, children, and families around the world. www.FuturesWithoutViolence.org