Mpowerment in Action: Our first MGroup!! By Galo Cunto

Mpowerment has an exciting event coming up on Wednesday, February 2nd: our first MGroup!! MGroups are dynamic, single, discussion-based sessions that literally save young men’s lives. They do this by providing medically-accurate, gay sex-specific information and the chance to role play critical scenarios that commonly come up in our lives. In Mgroup, we discuss topics that aren’t openly talked about in school and even beyond school. In health class, you may learn about sex and sexuality but always in terms of non-gay sex and relationships. Furthermore, our parents may not have the answers to the questions that we have about sex, and—let’s face it—it’s hard enough coming out, let alone talking to mom or dad about sex with your boyfriend. The Mgroup is our place to get educated about what’s relevant to us, ask questions (nothing is out of bounds) and learn how to have a better, healthier dating and/or sexual relationship. The Mgroup is also an opportunity for guys to meet, get to know each other, make friends and learn from each other. Questions are posed that open up amazing dialogue between guys regarding their experiences with dating and sex. Then, we role play tough situations. How do you negotiate safe sex with a partner who insists on not using a condom? What if this partner is someone you just met? What if it’s your boyfriend? What if one or both of you have been drinking or using drugs? How do you talk to a friend whose sexual behavior is putting him at risk? Many of us have been in these situations and sometimes we’re too embarrassed to talk about it or afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings. MGroup is a safe place to work these things out, realistically and without judgment. HIV has plagued the gay community for over 30 years, and it’s apparent that it will be around for some years to come. The best tools we have to combat HIV are education and positive attitudes toward safer sex. This is why the Mgroup is so powerful. Participants leave the group empowered with education and thinking positively about how they can lead their lives as gay men—including dating and relationships—with pride, confidence, health and wellness. As graduates, they leave the group with a big responsibility: take what they have learned to their friends so that more men think about the choices that they make. So if you have 10 guys in a group, and each of them talk to at least 2 other people, you have actually helped 30 gay men lead healthier lives. Participating in MGroup is a way to help the whole community, and it’s not your typical safe sex lecture. We make it a lot of fun! If you want to join the MGroup on February 2nd (5:00-8:00PM, 2050 Bellmore Ave., Bellmore, NY 11710), contact me to register: GCunto@longislandcrisiscenter.org or (516) 679-9000, ext. 123 or you can also get connected through our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/mpowermentLi. Just ask to friend us!! (MGroup is for guys 17-24 only)