Background

Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is one of the original gender violence, sexual harassment, and bullying prevention programs. It was first developed as a sports culture initiative in 1993 by Dr Jackson Katz and his colleagues at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.

The decision was made to introduce MVP to Scottish secondary schools as a preventative approach to tackling violence, bullying and abusive behaviour; in 2011, a pilot programme began in two Scottish secondary schools. An evaluation of this pilot highlighted positive outcomes in attitudinal change, suggesting individuals felt more empowered to support and even challenge their peers when faced with situations they recognised as unhealthy. The decision was therefore made to roll the programme out across Scotland.

Since being introduced to Scotland in 2012, MVP has been embraced in Scottish schools and adapted to Scotland’s culture whilst retaining core features. A strong emphasis has been placed on building healthy, respectful relationships in the school and the community.

MVP Scotland has continued to evolve as a way for schools to discuss various issues within an educational framework where positive relationships, health and wellbeing are key to successful learning. In 2015 the Violence Reduction Unit formally partnered with Education Scotland to further develop these links.

Funded by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), The Mentors in Violence Prevention programme has been delivered throughout the Liverpool City Region by Merseyside Youth Association since 2020.

You can read about the impact of MVP on Merseyside on this page.