Our history - mission
Our mission
PRO-GAM is an intervention, training, research, awareness, prevention and information organization in domestic violence.
Its mission is to contribute to the prevention of domestic violence by intervening with (men who use violence; psychological, verbal or physical ) abusive men, developing awareness and prevention activities for the general population and by engaging in research and training activities. This mission is achieved by collaborating in a complementary manner and in partnership with other resources.
It is equally concerned about other forms of violence (different than physical) which affect our society and more generally, it is concerned about the psychosocial factors which surround this violence.
The organization’s history
PRO-GAM was founded in 1982 by a small group of people who were interested in offering assistance services for men who behaved abusively within the domestic and family contexts.
At the time, the problem of domestic violence began only to stimulate interest in the psychosocial intervention community. Although shelters for battered women had begun opening their doors, intervention services were unavailable for men who behaved abusively. Thus, PRO-GAM became the pioneer organization in Quebec to offer such services for men.
Since the beginning, the founding team’s preoccupation was to offer quality services which best responded to the needs of the clientele. This preoccupation was also shared by the individuals who have taken over the work that was started in 1982, by involving themselves in training, research and clinical activities.
In addition to the therapeutic services that are offered for men, PRO-GAM develops professional training and supervision services, engages in awareness and prevention activities in schools, community organizations, public and private institutions and participates in events such as symposiums, conferences and seminars.
Some articles have also been written and published in specialized journals in the field of psychosocial intervention. These articles reflect the years of field practice, questioning and thinking which the team of counselors has engaged in over the years. We hope that these documents will help advance learning in this domain.
The team at PRO-GAM continues to look to the future. New projects have been developed and others are on the drawing board. Such projects remain to be the source of stimulation in order to better respond to the needs of those who, either directly or indirectly, skirt around the human misery created by violence.