MEN In GREEN Campaign - Wednesday 15th  June 2011

Supporting Healthy & Respectful Relationships

As part of International Mens Health Week, Page MP Janelle Saffin will be wearing Green in Parliament today to support the local Men in Green campaign for respect in relationships.
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During International Men's Health Week, everyone, particularly men, will be encouraged to wear something green, as a statement of their committment to create and maintain respectful relationships. Individuals who support this are invited to register online, and make a donation of $5. Teams are encouraged to register their members ($5 each individual) and then compete with other similar groups to see who can raise the most money. Winning teams will be announced.

Groups or individuals could: wear a green shirt, green hat, green socks, undies; dye their hair, green wig, eyebrows, paint their nails green - the more interesting/different the better - send us a photo and we'll upload the best ones on our website. View photos of Men in Green !

The MEN In GREEN Campaign aims to compliment other campaigns against violence by inviting everyone, particularly men, to declare publically their support for, and commitment to, healthy, respectful relationships by going green on Wednesday 15th June 2011.

What are respectful relationships? They are when:-

• loving is being experienced;
• Compassion demonstrated;
• Caring is happening;
• Cooperation invited;
• Feelings of safety and trust are present;
• Relaxation and contentment are evident;

When these things are happening in a relationship, then contolling behaviour (all forms of violence and abuse) is not. Everyone feels safe and contented, able to truly be themselves. When the opposite is happening, when someone is being "forced" to do something they don't want to, then abusive, controlling behaviour is happening.

The M&FC has developed a model based on traffic lights (ie,green, amber, red) as a way of noticing when controlling behaviour is about to happen, or is happening (orange and red zone). In the green zone everyone is safe, respectful relationships are happening.

Green seems to be a symbol for safety, calm, peace ……