Washington Initiative for Boys and Men
Advocating for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities
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.
Basketball Coach Ashley Robinson Supports Boys & Men Commission Proposal (Video) by Blair Daly of WIBM ‘It’d be nice to have something like that to back us.’ Plus, the director of the Washington Fatherhood Council … Read more
Young Men Only 37% of Vocational College Scholarship Awardees Under State Program by Blair Daly of WIBM “Men will go into the trades,” they say with males underachieving academically. But our leaders are not doing … Read more
Ellis Starrett has four older brothers and an 8-year-old son. A transgender nonbinary masculine-presenting individual, Ellis has firsthand experience with domestic violence and previously did advocacy work helping survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Ellis grew up in northwest Washington and eastern Washington and completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.