The Municipality of Vega Baja’s SePARE program, a MenCare partner in Puerto Rico, is preparing to begin a new round of fathers’ groups in March 2016. The groups, known as Encuentros: Hombres-Padres (or “Men-Parents Meetings”), will meet twice a month to discuss and share stories about fatherhood, raising children, and childcare. The meetings are free and open to all men who are, or plan to become fathers, or who are somehow involved in parenting.
In March, SePARE will also launch a new initiative – holding meetings for men who have used intimate partner violence. Social psychologist and expert in the field, Dr. Juan González, will moderate the meetings, which take place twice a month. The main objective of the initiative is to eliminate men’s use of violence and abusive behaviors by giving them strategies and tools to identify triggers and learn how to cope with stressful situations without resorting to violence.