Helping men prevent rape

A coordinator from the national organization Men Can Stop Rape will train seminar participants at Grand Valley State University how to teach men to help prevent sexual assaults against women.

'From Bystander to Peacemaker: Engaging Young Men in Preventing Sexual Violence,' is a seminar designed for educators, students, and other professionals who work with youth. GVSU's Counseling and Career Development Center and the Kent County Health Department are sponsoring the seminar, which runs from 1-5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2, in the Alumni House and Visitor Center on Grand Valley's Allendale Campus.

David Sloane Rider, coordinator of national programs at Men Can Stop Rape, will be the facilitator. Based in Washington, D.C., MCSR helps empower male youth and the institutions that serve them to work as allies with women in preventing rape and other forms of men's violence.

Rider provides consulting and training to universities, states and community organizations. He also coordinates MCSR's Strength Campaign, a program that aims to prevent rape and other forms of dating violence among D.C. youth.