Ten Men is made up of local men from diverse walks of life who share a common vision—a world without domestic violence.
While most men are not violent, many men remain silent in the face of other men's violence. Ten Men is committed to breaking that silence.
For more information or to find out how you can get involved, contact Devon Pinkus, men's engagement coordinator, at devon@ricadv.org.
Check out the Ten Men video and digital story series below!
Hear from members about why they joined Ten Men and why being involved in the work to prevent domestic violence is important to them.
All videos and digital stories were filmed and produced by local videographer Neil Guliano.
Members of the 2017-2018 Ten Men cohort participated in a video series that premiered in June 2018.
In the first video in the series, Engage. Educate. Mobilize. (featured above), members collectively reflect on how their experiences in Ten Men and their efforts to end gender-based violence have impacted their lives and created a ripple effect in their spheres of influence.
This fall, we launched the #TenMenTuesday series on social media to share 6 additional videos (below).
Filmed and produced by Neil Guliano. Edited by Eileen Slavin. Special thanks to Kody Fraser (lighting grip) and Adam Parchesky (sound operator).
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| Moving Beyond "The Man Box" | Changing the Culture | |
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| Modeling Healthy Masculinity | Standing Up to Say Something | |
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| Becoming an Active Bystander | Challenging Harmful Gender Norms |
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Devon Pinkus, Men's Engagement Coordinator
Devon Pinkus has served as the Men’s Engagement Coordinator at the RICADV since 2020, helping to coordinate and facilitate the Ten Men initiative. To learn more about Devon, visit the Staff page of our website.
Lee Clasper-Torch served as the Men’s Engagement Coordinator at the RICADV from 2015 to 2020.
2019-2020 Ten Men Cohort:
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Jon Berenson Clinical psychologist |
Adam Cable Social worker |
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Elwood Donnelly Musician |
Dave Joseph, MSW Mediator and peacebuilder |
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Sam Kirsch Body piercer |
Don Laliberte Director of Social Services |
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Elliot Rivera Youth service provider |
Anthony Sinapi City councilman |
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Christian Andrade Automation Engineer |
Jim Berson Non-Profit Consultant |
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Jeff Cronin Multimedia Representative |
Kevin Lohela Founding Principal, Achievement First Elementary School |
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Andrew Mullen Senior Network Engineer |
Enrique Newman Parole Board Victim Advocate; Pastor |
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Thomas Terceira Craftsman/Designer |
Gregory Thompson Development Director Women's Resource Center |
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Johnson Thomas Prevention Education Specialist Day One |
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Not pictured:
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Julio Alicea, M.A.T. Social Studies Teacher and Advisor, Blackstone Academy Charter School |
Victor Arias Public Health Professional; Community Board Member |
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Michael Burt Senior Project Manager Optum Healthcare |
Terry Cannon Founder, Tai Chi For All; Education Reformer |
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Antonio Da Veiga Rocha Rhode Island Department of Health; Interdisciplinary Artist |
Anthony Faccenda Housing Advocacy Administrator AIDS Project Rhode Island |
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Marshall Lancey Assistant Director of Student Conduct Johnson & Wales University |
Noah Pushor Senior and Student Leader Roger Williams University |
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Jason Rodrigues Construction Foreman Plumbing/Heating/Refrigeration |
Travis Rymer Associate Pastor, Grace Harbor Church; Collegiate Coordinator, Baptist Convention of New England |
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Jonathan Sigman Social Worker, South Kingstown Schools; Private Practice Psychotherapist |
John Wesley Director of Policy and Advocacy RICADV |
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Omar Bah Founder/Executive Director Refugee Dream Center |
Len Cabral Storyteller (Original photo credit: Janet Swift) |
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Ian Colomer Policy Associate RICADV |
Derek Grinkin Property Manager; Asst. Football Coach, Salve Regina University |
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Rick Harkins Financial Advisor/Founder/CEO Harkins Wealth Management |
James Kwon Designer/Founder/CEO, Figmints Design Agency (Original photo credit: Timothy Donovan) |
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Erlin Rogel, J.D. Teach for America Middle School Teacher, Providence |
Peter Simon, M.D. Pediatrician, Public Health/Health Equity |
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Rich Tarlaian Retired Police Officer; Nonviolence Teacher; Adjunct Professor in Sociology, CCRI |
Larry Warner, M.P.H. Retired Firefighter; Public Health Professional |
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Taylor Britto Providence Police Officer |
Peter Converse Newport Community Leader |
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Marty Cooper Director of Community Relations Jewish Alliance of Greater RI |
Carson Moore Student Rhode Island College |
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Marlon Ramdehal Associate Director of Programs, Year Up |
Nelson Rocha Father; Community Organizer |
Rilwan Feyisitan, Jr. is the Executive Director at Community Action Partnership of Providence (CAPP). He graduated from Roger Williams University in 1999 and has since been a prominent advocate for community and youth health.
"I've literally held men as they've broken down in tears reflecting on their role as abusers. They see their sons and grandsons going down the same path they set for them as their role model. I now stand shoulder to shoulder with some of them in answering the call to be more than just well-intentioned men. The Ten Men project allows many of us to give a face and voice to the male response needed to end domestic violence. My hope is that men throughout my state will stand with me to stop intimate partner violence and develop healthy, positive, loving relationships." – Rilwan Feyisitan, Jr.
Jay Gotra is the CEO and Founder of Alliance Security. He lives in Providence, RI. Jay graduated from UMass Dartmouth and was previously CEO of VMS Alarms.
Edgar Moya is President & CEO at GM Communications Group. He graduated from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting in 1999 and also received a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from CCRI. Edgar is fluent in Spanish.
"I strongly believe that it is possible to break the cycle of domestic violence if everybody gets involved, including the men in our communities." – Edgar Moya
John Youte is the former Director of Outreach, Admissions, and Student Services at Year Up Rhode Island and has over 15 years of experience in career and social services. John is fluent in Haitian-Creole.
"As a father of a six-year-old daughter, I am here to stand beside her to ensure that she will not live in a culture where violence is the norm. We as men must become agents of change to spread the message to men in our state. This cause needs all of our efforts and advocacy to change mindsets of a culture that limits us and promotes violence against those we love dearly." – John Youte
Rafael Zapata is the former Associate Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at the Office of Institutional Diversity at Providence College. He is fluent in Spanish and has been involved in diversity and cultural work at higher education institutions for over a decade.
Not pictured: Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson
—Reverend Anderson was raised in Cranston, Rhode Island and is Executive Minister at the Rhode Island State Council of Churches.
Top (left to right): Erroll Lomba, Youth Worker; Kyle Bennett, Community Advocate
Bottom (left to right): Ben Ellcome, Artist; Ralph Breslauer, Entrepreneur
Men can help build a world without violence. In June 2021, we invited Rhode Island men to learn more about the role they can play in preventing abuse.
Men in our community can help build safe, healthy spaces where all of us can thrive. Our 2021 public awareness campaign called men in to show up for all people, including women, in positive ways.
By modeling respectful relationships and being a voice for equality, men can help change the culture that allows domestic abuse and other forms of violence to happen.
Throughout the month of June, we invited Rhode Islanders to learn how they can help prevent violence in their communities by listening to our stories on social media, hearing radio public service announcements broadcast in English and Spanish, listening to radio interviews, reading our featured story in The Providence Journal and checking out our ads displayed digitally across the state and on YouTube and streaming services.
Our annual community conversation hosted by Ten Men covered ways to prevent domestic violence before it starts!
Building a world without violence is possible! We can build this world together as a community.
In June 2020, the RICADV called on men to take an active role in preventing abuse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic violence cases rose. This created a greater need for the men in our communities to take action.
While most men are not violent, many remain silent about men's violence against women. It is our collective responsibility as Rhode Islanders to respond to and prevent gender-based violence in our state. To kick off our June public awareness campaign, members of the 2019-2020 Ten Men cohort lent their voices to a full-page open letter that appeared in a special edition of The Providence Journal and Newport Daily News. This powerful piece called on Rhode Island men to play an active role in preventing abuse.
Read the Ten Men open letter to Rhode Island men here.
As part of our social media campaign, we invited the Ten Men members to participate in creating a video about masculinity, and how we can all find ways to redefine strength in a healthy way. Watch Elwood's video about what masculinity and strength mean to him.
In June 2019, the RICADV launched a statewide public awareness campaign calling on men to help create a future without violence. The campaign's call to action was featured on posters, social media, and bus advertising throughout the state.
In addition, Ten Men members (pictured at the recording studio below) voiced a public service announcement for Pandora that called on men to "reflect on ourselves, challenge each other, and model healthy masculinity." Click here to listen to the public service announcement!
In addition to participating in the video series, 2017-2018 Ten Men members also voiced a radio public service announcement (PSA) that aired on local radio stations and Pandora throughout the month of June.
The PSA calls on men in our communities to learn more about the role they have to play in preventing domestic violence. It aired in English on WEEI, 94 HJY, and Pandora and in Spanish on Latina 100.3FM.
In 2017, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) launched the No More Silence public awareness campaign, which was the first campaign featuring Ten Men members to be seen on buses and billboards throughout the state, in both English and Spanish. The campaign also included posters of Ten Men members saying "No More" - check them out below!
Ten Men also created a radio public service announcement, calling on Rhode Islanders to help break the silence, which aired in both English and Spanish.
Ten Men Say "No More" - 8.5"x11" Posters
In 2014, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) created this public service announcement (PSA) to help raise awareness about men's roles in preventing domestic violence.
The PSA aired on local television stations in June of 2014-2015 and featured Ten Men members addressing domestic violence in their workplaces and encouraging RI men to get involved in the efforts to end abuse. The same message aired as radio PSAs in both English and Spanish throughout June 2014-2016.
Ten Men received national recognition from NOMORE.org in 2014 for this innovative public awareness campaign.
First, Ten Men was spotlighted in the June issue of the national NO MORE newsletter. Then in July, NOMORE.org featured Ten Men in the blog post, "Ten Men Can Make a Difference: Meet the Men Who are Redefining Manhood."
Ten Men made its public debut in 2013 with a June public awareness campaign created by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV).
Television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) aired throughout the month, encouraging Rhode Island men to start conversations with the men and boys in their lives and to lead by example when it comes to treating women with respect and being a role model for young people.
Ten Things Men Can Do to Prevent Violence Against Women
(Adapted from a resource by Jackson Katz, one of America's leading anti-sexist male activists and co-founder of Mentors In Violence Prevention (MVP).)
