Engaging Boys in Fighting Gender-based Violence: A Pilot Study of the Promundo Healthy Masculinities Program

• In Event: Preventing Youth Violence

Abstract

The Brazil-based Promundo organization originated in 1997 and developed Program H to engage adolescent males in the fight for gender equality. Its inclusion in the 2005 United Nations Population Fund and 2007 UNICEF reports suggests it is effective in improving attitudes regarding gender equality and violence. Because it has yet to be implemented in the United States, the authors worked alongside a victim service agency in the southeast United States--who has ties to Promundo--to adapt Program H for implementation with fourth and fifth grade boys. The program was piloted with a group of ten boys who attend a predominantly African-American public magnet school. This paper presents results of the pilot study, which utilized a pre-posttest design. Measures were adapted from program evaluations of Men Can Stop Rape’s Men of Strength (MOST) Clubs and include self-reported attitudes and beliefs about masculinity, emotional expression, and violence. Official disciplinary records were also reviewed to assess behavioral change. Additionally, researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with program instructors and focus group interviews with teachers and other school staff members. This paper will conclude with a discussion of the implications of implementing such a program with a population of elementary school boys in the United States.

Authors

• Allison Foley, Georgia Regents University

• Kim Davies, Georgia Regents University

• Todd Powell-Williams, Georgia Regents University