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V O L . X X V N O. X X I G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 8 community. Part of the organization's mission is to create unity in the community, while also recogniz- ing cultural differences. Providing academic, social and emotional support to children and young adults, regardless of cultural background, is an idea that the Lewiston community has rallied around. "It's pretty amazing to see how passion can spread in a community," says Sleeper-Whiting. "One thing that resonates with everyone is supporting kids. At the end of the day, we all care about the future." Now that the Howe street facility has been reno- vated, Sleeper-Whiting and her staff of 21 are excited about the potential to launch new program offerings that encompass work force development, new learning pathways, partnerships and educational opportuni- ties. Among these is Tree Street's newest program, Next Step High, a pilot program that is being offered in collaboration with Lewiston Public Schools. e program is designed to re-engage high schools students who are struggling in a traditional academic setting, pairing students from the program with local businesses. "With Tree Street, we've created a safe space where kids can come in, whether they are having the best or worst day of their lives and know that we will receive them," says Sleeper-Whiting. "At the end of the day, we are just loving the kids and helping them to grow and be successful in the future." Maine Boys to Men shares curriculum to extend its reach U.S. Department of Justice statistics show that men and boys are responsible for 90% of all violent acts. Men also have higher rates of self-harm, substance abuse, suicide and incarceration. For the last 21 years, Maine Boys to Men has been targeting the cultural causes of violence committed by men and the associated emotional detachment. e nonprofit offers youth and adult workshops that help attendees rethink their defi- nitions of masculinity and become engaged in ending gender-based harassment and violence. Maine Boys to Men's primary goal is to help boys become non-violent, emotionally healthy men while confronting narrow gender assumptions that limit all genders. In 2018, Maine Boys to Men was awarded a grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women in the amount of $350,000. is is the third round of three-year funding that Maine Boys to Men has received through the program. e first round was used to build out its Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP) for boys and girls in high schools. RSVP is grounded in evidence-based prac- tices that help shift attitudes about gender equity, male power and interpersonal relationships. e second round of funding allowed Maine Boys to Men to extend RSVP into middle schools, bring its programs to at risk populations and begin similar work with adults. With its current third round of three-year funding from the DOJ's Office of Violence Against Women, Maine Boys to Men is working with adults who play a pivotal role in how children develop con- ceptions around masculinity — with a major emphasis on working with fathers, educators, coaches and refu- gee communities across Greater Portland. With ever-increasing demand for its programs and curriculum, the question facing Maine Boys to Men's leadership two years ago was how to deliver programs more efficiently and make the programs accessible to more communities. Several strategic decisions have helped Maine Boys to Men achieve both goals. Two years ago, after seeing tenfold growth in their programs, Maine Boys to Men concentrated its direct delivery of programs to greater Portland. "We also partnered with the University of New Hampshire and Rutgers University in a study of our work to show the outcomes our programs are pro- viding," said Matt eodores, executive director for Maine Boys to Men. "e positive results from this study and the interest that followed led us to develop a train-the-trainer program to share our curriculum, which is where we see future growth. We've been pleased to see the work we're doing locally gain so much interest across Maine and beyond." In its training programs, teachers, coaches, administrators, high school and college students and others learn to deliver the Maine Boys to Men RSVP curriculum independently. According to eodores, Maine Boys to Men has received a decent amount of foundation money as result of the training programs. e ultimate goal is to bring its RSVP middle school program to tens of thousands of middle school students across Maine and beyond. "Middle school is a critical age to confront unhealthy views of masculinity," said eodores. "e study by Rutgers and UNH found that our work in middle schools can shift attitudes regarding male power and privilege, gender equity in relationships, and the use of coercion and violence in relationships. It showed that our multi-day program in middle schools can significantly change how students think about masculinity and violence prevention." Maine Woodworks provides nonprofit with revenue, jobs At first glance at its website, you might mistake Maine Woodworks for another high-end furniture maker that specializes in classic, custom-made pieces. In this case, there's much more to the story. Maine Woodworks is a self-described social enterprise owned and operated by Creative Work Systems, a Maine- based nonprofit that supports 400 to 500 people with disabilities in southern and central Maine. Job place- ment is one of the services offered by CWS, which is where Maine Woodworks' story begins. In 1991, CWS founded Maine Woodworks to provide employment opportunities for people with dis- abilities and to generate revenue for CWS. Since then, » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 6 P H O T O S / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E BO Y S T O M E N , B I D E N F O U N DAT I O N Maine Boys to Men targets the cultural causes of violence committed by men and the associated emotional detachment. The nonprofit offers youth and adult workshops that help attendees rethink their definition of masculinity and become engaged in ending gender-based harassment and violence. At the end of the day, we are just loving the kids and helping them to grow and be successful in the future. — Julia Sleeper-Whiting Tree Street Youth

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