Step Up. Speak Out. Be One of the Ten.
This is your chance to lead change, challenge harmful norms, and build a stronger, safer community.
Applications are open—are you in?
Do you care deeply about creating a safer, more respectful community? Are you ready to challenge harmful norms, grow as a leader, and stand alongside other men committed to making a difference? Whether you're just stepping into leadership or looking to strengthen your impact, the Ten Men program offers the tools, training, and community to help you lead with purpose.
Ten Men is an 8-month journey supporting men in developing positive leadership skills, fostering healthy masculinity, and working to end gender-based violence in our community.
Our Vision
A community free from gender-based and sexual violence.
Our Mission
Empowering men to enact positive culture change in our community, taking up the fight to prevent violence.
Program Overview
The Ten Men Program invites participants to explore their roles as community leaders, deepen their understanding of healthy masculinity, and develop a clear vision for how they can promote respect, accountability, and gender equality in their communities.
Starting with an in-person retreat on June 14th, 2025, Ten Men Fellows will engage in monthly learning and discussion sessions on topics like healthy relationships, consent, bystander intervention, and challenging harmful gender norms. Throughout the eight-month program, participants will develop individual action projects that create lasting impact.
Each year, Ten Men equips a cohort of committed local leaders with the skills and support needed to challenge gender-based violence and inspire lasting community change.
Program Outcomes
Growth
Deepen your knowledge of healthy masculinity, consent, and bystander intervention through high-quality training sessions designed to strengthen your leadership for community change.
Community
Build lasting relationships with a diverse network of local leaders, working together to foster respect, accountability, and safer communities across Charlottesville and surrounding counties.
Action
Design and implement a personal action project that puts your learning into practice, making a tangible, lasting difference in promoting gender equality and ending violence.
This project is supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GG-03966-ENGA awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.