Join Safe-admin and keep informed of what's happening with this issue. Safe-admin is an online group for networking with other people who are interested in this issue. We advertise new services as we find them, we discuss issues related to providing services and information, we share new research, work with the media, and so on. This is a fairly low bandwidth group, so you shouldn't be flooded with e-mail, but it is the way that people in this field stay in touch with each other and keep abreadst with news, research, and media contact. To join this group, send an e-mail message to majordomo@themenscenter.comand putsubscribe safe-admin youraddress@wherever.comin the body of the message.
Contact your local domestic violence shelter or hotline and ask what they do when they receive calls from men (gay or straight) or lesbian women who are abused. If they say they will provide services, write to SAFE (at spindrift9@aol.com), and let us know. Call around and find out what services there are in your area, and Let S.A.F.E. know about services in your area. This little action could really help someone in your local or surrounding community in the future. I've seen it happen before!
Find out if the local library or domestic violence shelter would like to have copies of SAFE flyers. If so, go to http://www.dgp.utoronto.ca/~jade/safe/flyer.html and print out the flyer for them.
Set up your own local chapter or affiliate of S.A.F.E. This is something anyone can do. It requires no special organizational skills or natural eloquence in speaking. We will support you and give you advice and information about who to contact. We will also learn from each other's experience. Setting up a local chapter of S.A.F.E. is something that will directly affect your community. Your efforts will affect the services people receive in their local community, and it will make a difference in their relationships and in their lives.
There are many different forms these local group can take. You can form support groups, advocacy groups, or groups that try to set up services like hotlines or shelters. You can set up educational groups that aim to educate the public about the issue. You can set up research groups on campuses. Your group can either work with other domestic violence organizations and encourage and support them to broaden their services, or, your group can set up those services.
If you'd like to find out more about this, please write spindrift9@aol.com, and also join the safe-admin group (listed above).
If you are already an institution such as a domestic violence shelter, and would like to be a SAFE affiliate, please e-mail us about this.
If you're a male survivor of domestic violence, and you feel comfortable about it, be open with your experience to other people. A lot of people won't even think about this issue until it happens to someone they know or themselves. One SAFE member found that after he starting being open about his abusive marriage, that five of his friends had been or were involved in similar relationships! He was able to provide support and help for them, and also learn from their experiences. If he hadn't been open about his experience, they probably wouldn't have spoken about their experiences at all. Write about your personal experience and e-mail it to jade@cs.utoronto.ca. This can help out people understand their experiences. If you're a graduate student or professor, consider doing research on this issue. Especially if you're in the psychology field, where there seems to be a dearth of information on this. Contribute to S.A.F.E. Your money can help make a lot of things possible. Feel free to earmark the money if you'd like it to be used for a specific purpose. We currently are not a tax-deductible donation. Write spindrift9@aol.com for more information. Contribute your time If your professional expertise would help out in any way, your time could be a valuable contribution. Write spindrift9@aol.com if you're interested in helping out by donating your time or expertise. For example, translators could translate information into foreign languages, lawyers could offer some legal counsel, people with web ability could offer to do some web work, and so on. Be on the S.A.F.E. contact person list Write jade@cs.utoronto.ca if you're willing to talk about your experiences with domestic violence with the media. Let me know your name, contact information, geographic location, and a brief description of your experience. Past media contacts have included ABC News 20/20, The Detroit News, The Georgia Straight, Dear Abby, and more.