Engaging Men as Champions of Change

Our male engagement initiative has been evolving over the years with significant input and support from partners like the Pleasure Project, an initiative dedicated to integrating pleasure into sexual health and rights education. This approach aligns seamlessly with the goals of the Young Men as Equal Partners (YMEP) program, which aims to engage young men in meaningful discussions about gender norms and encourage them to become advocates for women's rights and gender justice.

Deo Okoko, Moving The Goalposts’ (MTG) YMEP Program Officer, recently had the opportunity to discuss this transformative work during an interview with CNN's Jessie Gretener.

During the CNN interview, Deo highlighted the key strategies that the YMEP program employs. Education and awareness are at the forefront of these efforts. The program uses the football pitch as the main avenue to conduct workshops and training sessions that cover essential topics such as sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and the importance of mutual respect in relationships.

“We found that one of the places that they spend a lot of their time is the football pitch. We began to design our sessions based on soccer drills to explain certain issues.”

Deo shared of how young men participating in the YMEP program, have become champions of change within their communities. By understanding and embracing the principles of positive masculinity, these young men are now contributing to a culture of respect, empathy, and equality.

“It’s no longer just let’s play football, let’s practice and go away … these spaces are now a community used by them to talk about issues that they’d not normally talk about.”

This paradigm shift encourages men to value qualities such as empathy, respect, and cooperation. Deo explained that the program helps young men see that true strength lies in supporting and uplifting others rather than asserting dominance.

The impact of the YMEP program is profound and far-reaching. By engaging young men as equal partners in the pursuit of gender equality, MTG is fostering a future where both men and women can thrive. The program has notably reduced incidents of gender-based violence in the areas where it operates, creating a safer and more equitable environment for all.

For more details on Deo Okoko's interview and the impactful work of the YMEP program, visit https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/07/13/europe/paris-olympics-sex-education-pleasure-spt-intl

Tunaweza!

Moving the Goalposts (MTG)