Exploring gender through youth work
We have been delivering gender-based work since our formation in 1904 and now deliver initiatives around positive masculinity and empowerment of women and girls. Future Man helps men to have a healthy sense of masculinity, experiencing increased life satisfaction and reducing chauvinism and misogyny. Our young women’s empowerment work seeks to increase gender consciousness and ability to challenge societal norms.
We deliver several projects relating to gender in communities across West and South Yorkshire.
Future Man is delivered in further education colleges and in street settings and aims to help young men live their lives guided by the principles of positive masculinity. Male youth workers deliver the programme, allowing young men to explore the concept of ‘masculinity in the 2020s’. Sessions aim to reduce misogyny, chauvinism and similar attitudes. They also help young men to understand, value & demonstrate positive character traits, while offering the types of group work opportunities that enable young men to feel ‘good enough’, self-assured and respected.
Our young women’s projects are delivered in safe spaces by female youth workers and focus on women’s issues, including gender consciousness, social justice and safety of women and girls. Sessions are delivered in street settings, college settings and community centres and aim to increase understanding of social injustice and advocacy for feminism. The projects also seek to address women’s health & develop confidence to critically discuss it, while improving young women’s self-esteem, self-worth and self-expectation
