Promundo

This case study presents the experience of the Brazilian non-governmental organisation (NGO) Instituto PROMUNDO in engaging young men as change agents in gender-based violence prevention and the promotion of sexual and reproductive health. The change agents - or peer promoters - are young men from low-income areas of Rio de Janeiro who reach other young men with educational materials, condoms, a lifestyle magazine, and a play about reducing violence against women. Organisers explain that the project has focused on both examining the specific health and other needs young men have because of the way they are socialised ("gender specificity"), and working with young men to address gender inequities that women face ("gender equity"). Organisers emphasise that their proposal is not to work with young men "instead of" young women on these issues, but "in addition".

Here is a short excerpt from the study that stresses the centrality of communication to this project and to the process of engaging men in these issues: "one of our points of entry with young men on gender-based violence is helping them talk about family violence they have witnessed and experienced. We also know from our research that not all young men in these communities use violence, either against other young women or against other young men.... Many of these young men came to question men's violence against women because they had a space or a person to whom they talked to about the violence. By talking about the pain they experienced, by 'making sense' or constructing meaning out of the violence, they were able to rethink how they acted in their intimate relationships. Thus, in our work in the Guy-to-Guy project, we have focused on talking about the violence one has witnessed or been a victim of can be a way to prevent the intergenerational transmission of violence." In preliminary research, one young man indicated that he was reluctant to take part because "guys don't get together to talk". However, the idea was to help young men see the importance of having a male-only space where they could discuss their doubts and concerns in a non-critical setting.

In a section entitled "Successes and Lessons Learned", organisers explain that the project has pursued the following approaches:

• Maintaining interest of low-income young men and engaging them as protagonists in the process: "Being men from low income communities, they are typically most concerned with finding employment, completing school and staying out of the way of the gang-related violence in their neighborhoods. Nonetheless, we have been successful in keeping their interest by including these multiple issues and by working with them to examine the multiple ways that gender-based violence has caused pain in their lives and to their families, and helping them see the benefits to themselves and their partners when they participate in sexual and reproductive health concerns."
• Recruiting adult men from the community, men who are themselves more gender-equitable, as group facilitators: "From the beginning it was clear to us that the young men needed to have interactions with men from their communities (and elsewhere) who demonstrated and reinforced more respectful, nonviolent ways of interacting with women. We wanted these facilitators to model relationships based on respect and dialogue rather than based on power."
• Promoting young men's engagement in gender violence prevention and in sexual and reproductive health from a perspective that focuses on potential, not deficit: "We have worked diligently to emphasize the point that some - maybe even many - men, including those in low-income settings, oppose violence against women and that many already participate in reproductive and sexual health concerns. Furthermore, by recruiting adult and young men who are willing and interested to participate in gender violence prevention and in promoting sexual and reproductive health, we have been able to show the tremendous potential of men to be engaged, respectful and non-violent partners."
• Using a "talking stick" with the group for the first 6 months of the project to promote understanding and dialogue, symbolically and literally distributing power among everyone: Initially, many of the young men were not used to waiting their turn to speak, and showed little respect when others were speaking. Drawing on Native American traditions, group members developed listening skills by asking permission to hold the stick when they wanted to speak - a sign for others to remain quiet and listen to the speaker's words.
• Using the young men's life experiences to construct messages: For example, a photonovela, with pictures from the community and using the young men's own words, is distributed at each presentation of the play. This title of the play and the photonovela - "Cool your head, man" - is the young men's own phrase, used to encourage their peers to reflect before they act and to "cool down" when they are angry rather than use violence.
• Presenting new models of what it means to be a man: "Group discussions and role modeling have led to youth questioning gender stereotypes. Participating in a group that enables and encourages young men to show their feelings, to talk about frustration and to be different - i.e., more gender-equitable - have been key."
• Accepting and coping with adolescent parenting: "During the course of the first two years of the project, nearly half of the young men became fathers.... While recognizing the challenges to being young fathers or young parents, we have sought to support their choices - and above all emphasize their responsibility in caring for the children they father."
• Rousing the public imagination about including young men in gender violence prevention and sexual and reproductive health.
• Getting the issue of engaging young men on gender violence and in sexual and reproductive health in the public agenda through presentations about, and advocacy related to, the project and associated research.
• Finding and maintaining allies - engaging and maintaining partnerships with other NGOs working on these issues.
• Combining research with practice and then getting other organisations to take on the ideas.

Instituto Promundo website [7], accessed on October 19 2009.