MENgage for a better tomorrow
Today's boys are tomorrow's leaders
The concept of MENgage
Over the years, the global agenda to reduce gender inequality and inequity through focused programmes/interventions to empower women and girls continues to grow in momentum. Subsequently, proponents advocating for men and boys’ are increasingly calling for interventions to be focused on balancing the efforts and providing complementary empowerment and sensitization initiatives for boys/men.
Acknowledging this, the concept of the MENgage series was jointly envisioned, by the Belize City Council and UNICEF Belize, to positively engage, educate and empower young men ages 13-18. Based on experience with various programmes at the Belize City Council, the concept presupposes that exposing young adolescent boys to sustained positive reinforcement and opportunities to discuss their challenges and learn healthy concepts of masculinity, maintaining mental health and wellness and providing access to relatable male role models will sow seeds of change and influence in thought and behaviour shifting social norms and practices in the participants.
MENgage aims to share critical messages to change social norms about masculinity. It works with young boys to improve their understanding and perceptions of their self-identity, how to manage emotions, stress and mental health and issues of sexual abuse and gender.
Engage - meet them where they are and as who they are.
Educate - provide opportunities to learn new and different approaches, ways of thinking and social tools to handle their respective environments.
Empower - provide opportunities for them to affirm positive perspectives and behaviours.
The MENgage Effect
MENgage targets at-risk adolescent males who lived in vulnerable communities where there is a high prevalence of violence and crime and a conversely limited opportunities for exposure to positive beliefs and practices on masculinity and male support systems. The goal is to support participants to be exposed to positive influences to relearn ideas about manhood, masculinity, and male empowerment.
MENgage is envisioned as a “positive space" creating a movement to shift their perceptions and invite them to hope for a positive future. To accomplish this MENgage chapters would be established in participating schools with an empowering curriculum of sessions that would impart social skills such as conflict resolution, leadership, community, and civic engagement as well as health messages on nutrition, physical fitness, and wellness. Each Session of MENgage would also be designed to include a heart-to-heart talk with positive male figures who are from similar backgrounds and experiences.
The Partnerships
Born out of an initial partnership with the Belize City Council and UNICEF Belize the partnership has expanded to include government and civil society organizations. MENgage facilitation is coordinated through the Belize City Council and the National Parenting Task Force with support from UNICEF Belize and other relevant agencies on an activity-based modality.
Year One: Focusing on male mental health
MENgage's pilot sessions were held in commemoration of International Men's Day under the theme, “ZERO Male Suicide”. As a lead up to this day, the series of empowerment sessions were conducted to host important discussions about positive self-identity, mental health, and wellness and to engage in healthy discussions about issue of masculinity and gender.
In the pilot sessions, four guest speakers participated in the sessions lending their experience and encouragement to the participants. Suitable speakers were selected based on their upbringings on the south side of Belize, personal stories of resilience and relevance to the population group. They shared their reflections on how to focus and rise above your challenges. Influential men gave their time to talk with the participants to encourage and ignite hope for a positive future.
- Joseph Stamp Romero – Art/Dance Teacher, Community Activist
- Willian Neal – Television Host, Media Personality
- Dion Rodriguez – Sponsorship Director, Pathlight
- Jermaine Hyde – Municipal Court Manager
Regardless of who they are and where they are from, every child deserves the right to quality education that is meaningful and relevant to their development. Educating at-risk young boys must also address their specific vulnerabilities to give them the tools to navigate their challenges and reach their fullest potential.
One of the activities of the session was called, The Mask We Wear Activity: Navigating Self-Identity. It asked participants to reflect:
- Discussion: How does society’s expectation affect you?
- Discussion: Are you up to society’s standards? Why or why not?
- Discussion: does society understand you?
These responses were captured on quote cards.
Year Two: Mission to Engage, Educate, and Empower young men!
In partnership with UNICEF Belize, Belize Leadership Intervention Unit (LIU), and Department of Youth Services, the second annual MENgage conference hosted 75 young men from various schools and organizations for a series of engagement and training sessions. These sessions focused on engaging, educating, and empowering young men who face a variety of challenges.
The training sessions addressed topics such as emotional intelligence and anger management. Guest speakers included Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard Jr., Councilor Evan Thompson, and Mr. Jermaine Hyde. Students of Nazarene High School, the Anglican Cathedral College, Restore Belize, and Pathlight International Belize for participated in the sessions.
