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Workshop aims to stop violence Men's session runs 2 days in February By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- One out of every eight Oregon women are estimated to have been physically abused by an intimate partner in just the last year. In an effort to stem the mistreatment, local anti-domestic violence groups are sponsoring a violence prevention workshop for men in February. "A lot of the stuff that's been done to work with men and stop violence in the past has been pointing the finger," said Gordon Haas, an organizer of a local men's anti-violence group called MEND (Men Encouraging Nonviolent Decisions). "This is different. It focuses on the idea that most men are not violent against women but they don't know what to do when they see or hear something going on with friends and co-workers. This is working with teaching them to be empowered bystanders." The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 7 and 8, at the Suncrest Day Retreat, 1950 Suncrest Road, Talent. Tuition is $80. Some scholarships are available. The training is designed to prepare participants to lead workshops and give presentations on gender violence. The first day is geared toward education and leadership; on the second day, participants will work on intervention strategies in cases of sexual harassment, battering, rape, teen-dating violence and other forms of gender violence. Jackson Katz, founder and director of MVP Strategies, will teach the workshop. MVP Strategies is an organization that provides gender-violence prevention training and materials to colleges, high schools, law enforcement and other organizations. A former all-star football player, Katz became the first man at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to earn a minor in women's studies. He holds a master's degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he researched the connections between sports and media and male violence. Katz was a visiting professor at Southern Oregon University last year where his work helped inspire MEND. The training is being organized by the Jackson County Domestic Violence Council, Community Works/Dunn House and MEND. "This worked with the Marine Corps and high school athletes," Haas said. "And I believe it will work real well with men in Southern Oregon." Men interested in the training should contact Gerry Sea, the coordinator of the Jackson County Domestic Violence Council, at 774-4988. "This is what I consider a very practical thing for men to do," Sea said. "They know they don't like domestic violence, but we aren't really trained to know what to do. This is very practical, and Jackson is a great human being." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA