Washington Initiative for Boys and Men
Advocating for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities
Judy Lightfoot is a Seattle-based writer, editor, and writing coach. Her website is judylightfoot.wordpress.com. With her permission we are republishing her piece from twenty-five years ago, “The Masculine Mystique,” published by Seattle Weekly.
Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Eisinger envisioned a boxing gym where at-risk youth would get trained and mentored. Then he met Roy Castillo, head of Pasco’s Righteous & Chosen Boxing Club. Here is one anecdote that volunteer boxing coach Roy Castillo shares in our interview with him…
Washington Initiative for Boys and Men is one of the organizations that will host an outreach table at an upcoming gathering of leaders of the Washington State Democratic Party. The Washington State Democratic Central Committee will meet at the Hilton Hotel in Vancouver, Washington from September 26 to 28. WIBM advocates Blair Daly and Ann Silvers will staff an outreach table in the lobby of the Hilton on Saturday September 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m..
Listen to Dave Taylor’s stories of kids saying the darnedest things, inappropriate staff room conversations, a sexy Brad Pitt poster, male/female inequalities in the workplace, and Ambulance Boy. One of the purposes of Washington Initiative for Boys and Men is to be a vehicle through which men can speak truthfully about real struggles they face as men.
Jim Kastama is a father of five and the current mayor of Puyallup. When he served in the state legislature between 1996 and 2012, Kastama advocated for policies that would make shared parenting arrangements more common. That way, more kids whose parents split up, like his own kids, would benefit from plentiful time with both mom and dad. Kastama also spoke up at times for fair treatment for men and boys.
Annie Landis is a Masters of Social Work student at the University of Washington. For her class on Poverty and Inequality, she wrote a research paper on the widening gender gap in college enrollment. The assignment included a requirement that she offer a policy solution to the inequality that she chose to highlight.
With a combined 40+ years working in domestic violence services and prevention, Ward Urion and Dorsol Plants have unique and important perspectives to offer. A theme that emerged from our conversation is that domestic violence is more complicated than it is sometimes made out to be.