“Voices of Men”
An Educational Comedy by Ben Atherton-Zeman
On Thursday, May 10th, Oakmont students (as well as 8th grade Overlook students) will have the opportunity to view the performance, “Voices of Men”. This assembly will focus on teen dating violence awareness and promoting healthy relationships and is appropriate for viewing by both girls and boys. We have been fortunate to have Simplex –Grinnell fund this program. There will be two assemblies. The first assembly will be geared toward a younger audience (grades 8 & 9), the second will be held for students in the upper grades.
This multi-media play deals with several important issues:
Dating violence and domestic violence
Sexual harassment
Sexual assault
The play uses humor, celebrity impressions, and video clips to illustrate these topics in a light-hearted way that promotes learning and understanding. Each male character in the play is forced to deal with one of the issues listed above – in doing so, the characters see how they are part of the problem and also how they can be part of the solution. Our male students have the opportunity to reflect on their roles in relationships and may decide to voluntarily take this pledge:
I pledge to never commit, condone, or remain silent about men’s violence against women.
I pledge to never coerce anyone I know into having sex, or to pressure them into any kind of unwanted physical contact. I will always seek clear communication instead of assuming consent.
I choose to respect, listen to and seek equality with every person I date, and every person I know.Ben Atherton-Zeman is a speaker on violence prevention and a spokesperson for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism. He has presented “Voices of Men” to audiences in 35 states, Canada, China and the Czech Republic. Ben worked in preventative education for rape crisis centers, and domestic violence programs for15 years.
If you would like to know more about the performance, please log on to the “Voices of Men” website. If you would prefer your child not to view the performance, please contact Mr. Uminski at (978) 827-5907 extension 2155 or his email.