This Sacred Manhood Initiative focuses on uplifting the positive values, traditions, practices, roles, and responsibilities of Sacred Manhood that support individuals in building, nurturing, and maintaining healthy relationships.

Initiated in April 2022, this initiative hosts a series of webinars and presentations that share teachings, experiences, and life-learned lessons related to Sacred Manhood that support individuals in honoring, respecting, and caring for all their relationships while addressing the colonized, wound-based attitudes and behaviors that cause harm to themselves and their relationships. Through this initiative, we create greater consciousness and awareness of the areas of men’s health, mental health, fatherhood, grand-fatherhood, young men's rites of passage, uplifting motherhood, healthy relationships, and identifying protective factors relating to the prevention of sexual assault and domestic/intimate partner violence.

The Sacred Manhood Initiative can help service providers gain insights into different cultural perspectives and approaches in addressing violence within relationships, and serve as a valuable resource that promotes empathy and understanding for more effective and culturally competent support to survivors and their communities.

Addressing young men’s rites of passage, service providers can learn about traditional practices that foster healthy personal growth, responsibility, and respectful behavior. Implementing similar rites of passage programs can help prevent violence by instilling positive personal and cultural values, early and throughout life.

Understanding the role of fathers and grandfathers in promoting healthy relationships and preventing violence is essential. The initiative can help service providers engage with fathers as positive role models and advocates for change in their families and communities.

COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

NCN proudly announces its partnership with the East Los Angeles Women’s Center (ELAWC), an organization that serves as a leading voice for thousands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence and provides an array of innovative and integrated culturally responsive services that build on a foundation of trauma-informed, evidence-based services. Together NCN and the ELAWC strive to promote the implementation of policies, programs, and practices that are trauma-informed but healing-centered, support social justice and human rights and are culturally appropriate and relevant in an effort to eradicate domestic and sexual violence. This knowledge can inform the development of effective prevention programs and early intervention strategies.

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The National Compadres Network and Caminar Latino/Latinos United for Peace and Equity (as a part of the National Center to Advance Peace for Children, Youth and Families under a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families), are collaborating on a three-part webinar series. The series addresses working with men as well as modeling the importance of men and women working together to promote healing and transformation for individuals, families and communities. Tailored for a national audience of service providers in the Domestic Violence and Child Welfare fields, this series serves as a valuable resource for professionals seeking to create a profound impact. These sessions have been recorded and are available on the NCAP Caminar Latino website https://caminarlatino.org/ extending their reach to an even larger audience, amplifying the reach to a greater audience.

Sacred Manhood – “El Hombre Noble": The session focuses on exploring the definition of Sacred Manhood and “Un Hombre Noble” (A Noble Man) the counter-narrative of men with toxic masculinity, by uplifting the positive values, traditions, practices, roles, and responsibilities of Sacred Manhood that support individuals in building, nurturing, and maintaining healthy relationships. Sacred Manhood creates a greater awareness of the importance of healthy rites of passage and transformational healing to promote the prevention of domestic/intimate partner violence.

Hombres Buscando Balance “Working with Wounded Men”: This session explores the dimensions and dynamics of wounded men. Focused on what is important to consider when working with men, it will provide an overview of how racism, colonization, racial inequity, and generational trauma impact men and the resultant aspects of substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence. It will further share culturally based; trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches that have proven successful.

What is Effective in Working with Men: This session focuses on modeling the importance of men and women working together to promote healing and transformation for individuals, families, and communities.

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NCN, in collaboration with FIRST 5 ALAMEDA COUNTY for the Family Justice Center, have designed a 5-part webinar series for service providers working with families who are interested in enhancing their capacity to engage men and fathers/father figures in their work. It explores various aspects of working with fathers, including father engagement in organizations, addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) among fathers, and understanding the impact of father wounds on father-child relationships. Focusing in on the SACREDNESS of Fatherhood by defining and exploring the core values, factors, and experiences that contribute to effective fatherhood engagement. Participants will be guided through a journey of self-awareness, practical strategies, and insightful discussions to foster a more father-friendly system of care. Through active engagement, reflective dialogue, and interactive Q&A sessions, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the sacred role fathers play and how to create a nurturing environment for positive father engagement, practical strategies, and insights to improve services and support for fathers and father figures.

The Sacredness of Fatherhood: This presentation is intended to define and explore the Sacredness of Fatherhood by creating an awareness of the values, factors, and experiences that contribute to the approach and understanding of fatherhood engagement. Participants will gain:

• An awareness of how their personal experiences can impact their work with fathers.
• An understanding of effective approaches to positive father engagement.
• A deeper understanding of the barriers that fathers face in connecting to their children.

So, You Say You Want to Work with Fathers, Do You?: This presentation is intended for service providers who work with families and who are interested in developing their capacity and understanding of what is necessary and effective in engaging men and fathers in their respective work and organizations. Participants will:

• Build their capacity to engage and support fathers and father figures.
• Reflect on what is father engagement and discuss what it means for “my” organization to serve men.
• Engage in honest discussion about society’s bias towards Black and Brown men and how that plays out in our organizations, etc.

Engaging and Supporting Fathers/Men that have Committed Intimate Partner Violence: This presentation aims at creating a greater awareness of the barriers that often pose a challenge when engaging fathers/men in addressing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) by focusing on effective approaches and the need for culturally relevant support services. The presentation will:

• Identify and address significant barriers to preventing and addressing IPV among fathers/men such as stigma, the normalization of violence, and the lack of free and accessible programs for men who use violence.
• Share practical approaches that support engaging fathers/men in addressing IPV based on establishing rapport, the use of a trauma-informed approach, and culturally rooted values when providing education or services for users of violence.
• Incorporate discussion on how to create a healthy support system for fathers/men who have committed IPV that incorporates accountability, and compassion and is healing-centered.

Exploring the Father Wound: This presentation intends to explore the wounds that some fathers carry, which often manifest in such a way that creates a disconnection between father-child relationships and those individuals their children are connected to, as a result of their lived experiences and the struggle to overcome them. Participants will:

• Walk away with an understanding of what defines the Father Wound.
• Gain an awareness and understanding of how the Father Wound can impact a father's ability to show up in their children's lives in a positive and healthy way.
• Engage in discussion about the many father wounds that exist and how fatherhood programs can support fathers in addressing these wounds to create a healthy transformation.

Deepening the Understanding of Father-Friendly Principles for the Creation of a Supportive System of Care: This presentation is part of a webinar series designed for service providers working with men, fathers, father figures, and their families, with a focus on trauma-informed and healing-centered practices. This session serves as a practice guide with the overarching goal of fostering a reflective dialogue that leads to the creation of a more father-friendly system of care. Additionally, the webinar will explore strategies to support the Family Justice Centers in becoming more father-friendly. Participants will:

• Engage in ample conversation, dialogue, and Q&A sessions to enhance their understanding and implementation of a father-friendly system of care.
• Learn how to create a safe and supportive environment that promotes healing, resilience, and positive outcomes.
• Strengthen their ability to implement trauma-informed and healing-centered principles and practices.
• Acknowledge the need for continued attention and action in addressing the issues and challenges faced by boys and men of color to improve outcomes.
• Enhance their knowledge and comprehension of the principles and their application.