Be More Than a Bystander project, focused on breaking the silence on violence against women, has three new partners - the City of Surrey, the City of Vancouver and Encana Corporation.

Global Television has also joined as a media partner.

The campaign was launched by Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) and BC Lions in July.

Guided by an advisory group of women who are experts in the field, the project features professional athletes from the Lions visiting 40 high schools across the province over the next two years to talk to students about how they can be more than a bystander.

Workshop materials on how to talk to youth about these topics will also be created for coaches of amateur football teams and a legacy film will be created and distributed across the province.

BC Lions players will also be appearing in radio and TV public service announcements, in the stadium on the big screen, in game day programs and on transit ads.

Surrey and Vancouver have agreed to support the initiative by providing campaign advertising space in bus shelters, as well as supporting the school-based education aspect of the program.

"I take a lot of personal responsibility on this issue, as a woman who has the privilege of having a voice," said Surrey Coun. Barinder Rasode.

Surrey has done a lot work regarding violence against women, she pointed out.

"We have made this issue a priority," she said. "We were pleased to see that the BC Lions are delivering such an important message: a message that has normally been attributed to women or women's groups.

"The significance of that, for us, is that you're breaking the silence, we're also breaking the cycle of violence."

Rasode said children look up to athletes. "Especially male athletes. So the fact that male athletes are speaking out against violence towards women, I think that is a really important thing."

The Surrey Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (SCADA) conference is set for Nov. 8.

"The focus of this year's conference is children - children that witness abuse.

"One of my long-term goals as an elected person is to have a program in schools that supports kids in schools who are witnesses of or victims of abuse."

Twitter@amyreid87