Updates from The Men's Project No Images? Click here Role models can free our men and boys from The Man Box As we begin the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, MATT TYLER, our Executive Director of The Men’s Project, reflects on the vital importance of working to create and equip role models of healthy and positive masculinity, to lead in challenging deeply engrained attitudes and behaviours towards women. “You don’t ask, you don’t get”. You’d hear him before you saw him – the early 30s, big money-spinning alpha male of the office. Full of confidence, he’d always have the final say. It was my first year of university and my first experience in an office. He’d show us young fellas pictures of swimsuit calendars on his computer and make suggestive jokes about the female receptionist. Even other women in the office would laugh along – on reflection, nervously. I felt uncomfortable but didn’t speak up. I should have been better. As a young man back then, I struggled to find the words or the way to call him out. Over the last few months alone we’ve seen too many instances of hostility directed at women – misogynistic chants from schoolboys, Pauline Hanson being named Chair of a family law inquiry after accusing mothers of making up domestic violence claims and high-profile leaders playing down violence against women. This is not, however, an issue of a few incidents or individuals alone. It’s a deeply engrained societal issue and some concerning attitudes are widespread. Meet our new General ManagerI am pleased to share that Paul Zappa has joined The Men’s Project as General Manager of Primary Prevention and Community Engagement. Paul brings decades of experience as both a secondary teacher in boy’s schools and developing his own programs to engage men / boys to prevent violence and improve well-being. Paul is co-founder of Club Respect, an initiative created with the Victorian Women’s Trust aimed at creating gender equality in sporting clubs and has developed a number of initiatives for schools and sporting clubs which have been recognised internationally. The Men’s Project has been working closely with Paul in the past, developing and delivering the Modelling Respect and Equality (MoRE) initiative together. His focus will be continuing to expand the impact of MoRE and exploring other means of working across schools, workplaces, sporting clubs and other community groups utilising the Man Box research to reduce violence by promoting healthy masculinities. Feedback from folks we’re working withModelling Respect and Equality (MoRE)Modelling Respect and Equality (MoRE) is an innovative program for men and women, aged 18 and above. The program aims to build people’s skills and knowledge to help them create change in their community around issues of respect and equality, particularly among boys and men. It is an empowering, experiential journey to become an active influencer for change in your community. It involves participation in an intensive two-day training workshop followed by ongoing support as participants contribute to positive social change in their community, at work, in sports clubs, and among friends and family. We have recently finalized a round of MoRE in the Yarra Ranges and we have one coming up in Hobsons Bay in early 2020. So far we have received some great feedback from MoRE Participants, such as:
RestoreIn 2018 Jesuit Social Services commenced piloting a therapeutic intervention program, RESTORE, at the Melbourne Children’s Court which applies Restorative Practice principles and offers a Family Group Conference process for civil cases involving young people who are using family violence in the home. This aims to assist them and their families to address the harm caused by family violence and prevent further harm being caused. It also aims to link the young person with housing and homelessness support services when they can no longer remain in the family home. Here is some recent feedback from a participant: “Just wanted to say thanks for your help in getting the good result yesterday and the positive changes that I am seeing with my son. We have really appreciated working with you both and the positive outcomes that are no doubt attributed to the Restore program.” Adolescent Family ViolenceAdolescent family violence is an important area of work for The Men’s Project. Adolescent family violence accounts for approximately one in 10 incidents of family violence. In a recent episode of Radio National’s Law Report Dr. Kate Fitzgibbon from Monash University noted that people do not hear or talk much about adolescent violence in the home and that in this respect it is similar to where intimate partner violence was at some two or three decades ago. However, our understanding of adolescent family violence is growing and it is an area that is gaining increasing attention in the media. The Centre for Innovative Justice (RMIT) is due to release a significant report in this area in the coming months which we have contributed to and will further our understanding of how to develop a more systemic response to adolescent violence in the home. The Men’s Project is currently developing and implementing programs in this area, working with families holistically and systemically to address adolescent violence in the home and reduce the trajectory of young people into the criminal justice and homelessness systems. The influence of our researchOur Man Box research continues to positively influence approaches to engaging men and boys. Last week Vic Health released their Healthier Masculinities Framework which features findings from The Men’s Project research. As part of an Advisory Group we also contributed to the Our Watch Men in Focus Report which you can read here Out and aboutManhood, Men, Mates…MeMatt Tyler presented with Michael Flood and Paul Zappa at an event in Wyndham to explore “What does 'gender' have to do with men? How might men have a role in building gender equality? How do we engage men in this work? What do people mean by 'toxic masculinity', and is it a useful phrase? What do we want
instead? How do we encourage healthy masculinities among men and boys?” Jesuit Social Services National Justice SymposiumMatt Tyler presented on The Men’s Project sharing this among many other messages: “Author and ambassador of The Men’s Project Tim Winton laments the reservoirs of tenderness that boys are born with - that as they age become this narrow and cracked dried creek. Born with all the colours in their pencil box, one by one, as they grow, our boys lose their colours, so that as men, they are left with an emotional range that is grey, moribund, and often unable to respond to the complexities that life throws them. The feminine that sits within the masculine has been extinguished and there is perhaps no place drier or with fewer colours than prison.” Matt then moderated a panel on ‘healthy men and boys’ with Vincent Schiraldi – Senior Research Scientist, Columbia School of Social Work; Justin Mohamed, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People; Dr Sally Wilkins – Consultant Psychiatrist; and Elle Jackson – Manager, Justice Programs, Jesuit Social Services, Darwin. Engaging with our communityXavier CollegeIn September Adrian Eagle, Paul Zappa and Michael Fendel (pictured) presented to two year 10 classes on the topic of vulnerability. Paul and Michael worked with the students to recognise the impact of language which is often used to put each other down which reinforces stereotypical masculinity and perceived hierarchy. Adrian sang his song ‘Seventeen’ – a powerful song about his experiences growing up. He then shared how his experiences have shaped him in becoming a good son, partner and friend. On another occasion Adrian Eagle and other performers from Jesuit Social Services Just Voices Speakers Program held a lunchtime event on Xavier grounds, where students were encouraged to participate with their own rap songs. Previously, The Men’s Project Ambassador, Josh Kennedy, also addressed some Xavier boys by video, with the key message that: “we are all different; there are no set guidelines that determine that you are or are not a man; talking and opening up and being true to ourselves is what will lead to resilient boys and men”. St Kevin’s CollegeFollowing an invitation from St Kevin’s College to present to their student’s on the topic of the Man Box and Healthier Masculinities, Paul Zappa and Sophie Bliss from the Victorian Women’s Trust recently engaged with 260 Year 10 students and their staff about their capacity to live healthy and respectful lives. The students were encouraged to reflect on what forms healthy masculinities could take and how boys can transition out of the Man Box and into the numerous forms that healthy masculinities can take. Students willingness to share personal reflections allowed for the presentation to shift to the individual and collective roles of influencers - particularly students capacity to model healthy masculinities to younger students. The students also acknowledged the challenge of stepping from traditional stereotypes of masculinity into new and healthier forms and gave permission to each other to leave the Man Box without the fear of being challenged negatively by their peers. The students impressed us with their respectful manner and willingness to discuss these topics with maturity and openness. The feedback from students and staff following the session has been very positive. Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA)Paul Zappa attended Aquinas College in Perth recently with school leaders from EREA where staff investigated the key themes of the Man Box research and discussed how to implement education strategies that provide a fresh approach to working with young men that assists them to adopt healthy forms of masculinity. There was a strong commitment from the schools to engage in educating young men about the negative impact of living by the Man Box Pillars and to provide education to students about how they can find healthier alternatives. Paul will continue to deliver these sessions to the EREA leaders across Australia over the coming months with the aim of supporting up to 50 schools to create learning opportunities for their boys that promote healthier forms of masculinity. Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)Paul Zappa and Michael Fendel presented an overview of the MoRE program and the Man Box research to Family Violence Prevention practitioners from each of the Local Government Areas at an event arranged by MAV. SheppartonMatt Tyler (above) unpacked The Man Box at a conference in Shepparton which was attended by over 150 people, including family violence service providers, local government and public health workers. The conference was arranged by Goulburn Child and Family Services Alliance. Vichealth AwardsThe Man Box was recently nominated as a finalist in the Research into action category in the 2019 VicHealth Awards. We will be joining other finalists in the Research into action category such as: Deakin University; Monash University, together with Turning Point; Cancer Council Victoria, together with Bupa Health Foundation, Obesity Policy Coalition, Obesity Collective; and The Royal Children’s Hospital, together with The Women’s Hospital, and The University of Melbourne at an event on 3 December. It is energising to see such important work being undertaken. The Sydney Morning Herald profiled the Jesuit Social Services and The Men’s Project partnership with Plan International and Promundo to launch a set of tips to help raise boys and men with a positive sense of masculinity. The importance of this initiative was highlighted by The Men’s Project Executive Director Matt Tyler, who says "Men who conform stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a man — acting tough, being the breadwinner, asserting control in their relationship — they are 20 times more likely to sexually harass a women, more than twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts and six times more likely to use violence.” Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/gender/helping-boys-foster-the-positive-masculinity-within-20190816-p52hqt.html “It is clear that White Ribbon had considerable impact on shifting the conversation to make women’s safety a men’s issue. With White Ribbon’s demise, there isn’t a loss of momentum in efforts to engage men to end violence against women.” Matt Tyler was quoted in a recent article highlighting that in the wake of the collapse of White Ribbon, a coalition of community organisations continue to work together to end violence against women. Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/national/white-ribbon-urged-to-get-back-in-touch-with-its-community-roots-20191020-p532e5.html |