Working with Boys and Men

ARC Gender Relations is a primary prevention of violence project on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW.

The lives of men and boys are on the agenda in Australia. There is a historically unprecedented level of attention to men and masculinities - in popular debate, media commentary, community programs, and policy

For men who begin to take action in their everyday lives to end violence against women, there are some common mistakes to avoid.

There are growing efforts to engage men and boys in preventing men’s violence against women in the Asia Pacific.

Changing Contexts: A Framework for Engaging Male-Oriented Settings in Gender Equality and Violence Prevention – Practitioners’ Guide was developed by Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence (Canada). It involves non-programmatic approaches to engaging men to enhance gender equality and prevent violence against women. The approach is intended to work effectively “in the middle space between program-based interventions and policy-based approaches”.

Andrew Tate is an example of a new wave of explicitly sexist, anti-feminist, and misogynist male social influencers. These notes explain his popularity, identify the harmful impacts of his male supremacist teachings on girls and women and men and boys, and identify key strategies for preventing and reducing his impact.

Efforts to engage men and boys in preventing men’s violence against women are gaining momentum around the world. This has been prompted in part by a growing emphasis in the violence prevention field on primary prevention and the emergence of an ‘engaging men’ field focused on men’s roles in building gender equality.

This report informs Alberta’s next and exciting chapter of expanding work with men and boys to end violence and advance gender equality. It was written to support the Alberta Primary Prevention Framework Collaborative by providing clear and actionable strategies for Alberta’s anti-violence sector as well as the Government of Alberta.

We have organized the information into three evidence-informed sections.

The first section is the case for engaging men and boys along with foundational theories and approaches to help readers orient themselves in this work.

The Working with Men and Boys for Social Justice Assessment Tool is a new tool for assessing community programs for men and boys. It aims to provide leaders, designers and facilitators of programs or initiatives for men and boys the opportunity to review, reflect on and strengthen principles of gender and social justice. The Tool comprises key aspects that support positive social change in programs designed for men and boys.