Mentors In Violence Prevention
Students helping students end sexual violence.

In November of 2006, MVP was named Program of the Year in the state of New Hampshire by NASPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Peer Education Program
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is an organization of male and female student leaders committed to preventing sexual violence at KSC. Presentation topics include alcohol and consent, sexual assault/rape, sexual harassment, homophobia, battering and more.

The 2012-2013 MVP Team

Invite MVP to Present in your Class, Club or Organization

Make a request for an MVP program online

You may also place a request for an MVP Peer Educaition program by using our online form.

Resources [PDFs]

• 10 Things You Can Do To Prevent Sexual Violence
• Where To Go For Help
• Statistics
• How You Can Help A Friend
• Information for Survivors

Everything you wanted to know about MVP

• What happens in a program?
• What is MVP?
• What is a "Bystander?"
• Who Can Be Involved?
• How Do I Join?
• Training & Commitment

What happens in a program?
All programs are interactive and discussion-oriented. After introductions and an interactive discussion activity, the group is divided into same genders to discuss specific scenarios. The goal is for students to see the variety of ways they can be helpful as active bystanders.

Intimate Partner Violence (also called domestic violence or battering) is one of our most requested topics. In addition to talking about emotional, verbal, sexual, and physical abuse, MVP leaders also show the Cycle of Abuse and may illustrate this with a short movie clip.

A short movie clip is also sometimes used with another often-requested program, Alcohol and Consent. The discussion centers around questions like, what is consent and how does alcohol use affect one's ability to give consent?

Other topics we have presented: homophobia, gender and language, sexual harassment, sexual assault/rape (with less focus on alcohol).

What is MVP?
Mentors in Violence Prevention is a national program and was begun at KSC in November 2003. We are an energetic, motivated group of male and female students who are committed to raising awareness at Keene State about issues of sexual violence and harassment.

MVP offers programs that motivate students to be leaders in solving problems that have historically been considered "women's issues": rape, battering, and sexual harassment.

Using a unique "bystander approach," MVP approaches students, not as potential perpetrators or victims, but as engaged bystanders who can confront abusive peers.

What do we mean by a "Bystander?"
A bystander is someone who is observing a situation but is not directly involved in it. We believe that bystanders to sexual violence have the power to intervene, and we don't mean by force! We can help you find courageous, nonviolent solutions.

Our program focuses on men's violence against women, because statistics tell us that that is the most prevalent form of abuse. However, we are not out to blame men for sexual violence, or to preach to them about it! This program approaches audiences as potential bystanders who can help others; not as potential violent offenders or as potential victims.

Who can be involved in MVP?
Anyone! You don't have to have any experience in sexual violence or peer education at all (although it doesn't hurt!). We'll train you! We're looking for people who are confident, who are good public speakers, and who are motivated to make a difference on our campus.

Currently, our members are male and female first years through seniors; some are athletes; some are on student government; some are RAs; some are in other clubs and organizations. We're looking for people from all over campus.

How do I join?
We're glad you asked! We recruit and train once a year.

Contact MVP Co-Advisor Forrest Seymour, (358-2047) on campus - for an application and information about interviews. Or, fill out the application now.

Training & Committment
First, there's an 18-hour training weekend that you'll participate in before you become a full member.

After that, we meet every Monday from 6 to 7pm to do business, debrief programs we've done recently, and keep up our training on the issues.

The number of presentations you do depends on your schedule and willingness to get out there, but it's typically no more than one every couple of weeks.