The Men’s Project is an eleven-week training that begins in the spring semester. The day and time will be determined by participant availability.
The program is supported by the UConn Women’s Center and the Asian American Cultural Center, whose staff serve as advisors and support for this initiative. The goal of the Men’s Project is to train students who identify as men to positively influence their peers by challenging social norms that promote gender-based violence; understanding their connection to survivors of gender-based violence; and role modeling effective bystander interventions. The weekly meetings will focus on topics related to gender socialization, masculinities, social justice and gender-based violence. Previous year’s participants shared that the program was transformative, challenging, and that after the program their implementation of bystander intervention strategies greatly increased (see below).
We will select approximately 20 students for this initiative. The purpose of the project is to identify and train individuals who may be seen as having influence with their peers. We are looking for a diverse group of participants with unique experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Ideal candidates are students who relate well to other’s who identify as men; who are sensitive to issues of gender-based violence; and are open to collective and collaborative learning.
Meet Our Facilitators!
Hello! I’m Anthony. I am a third-year sociology major with a statistics minor. I’ve been a co-facilitator for the Men’s Project for two years now – and it has been such an amazing experience. I strive to make the project accessible to all types of male-identifying people, so that we can spread as much of this knowledge as possible, to as many people as possible. Gender inequality as well as gender-based violence drive me to facilitate these conversations, and you will surely see me speak passionately about these issues in our meetings. As a participant, I felt empowered and inspired after each meeting. Hopefully you will too!
Hi, my name is Keshav. I am a third-year majoring in Pathobiology and Sociology with minors in Healthcare Management and Insurance Studies and Molecular and Cell Biology. I first joined the Men’s Project last Spring semester as a participant. Embarking into a new space, I was initially hesitant to step outside of my comfort zone and discuss pertinent social issues regarding men. Nonetheless, these conversations helped me learn and grow from my peers concerning mental health stigma, gender-based violence, and masculinity in the male-identifying community. Now as a co-facilitator of this initiative, I hope to provide a meaningful experience to all those who wish to participate!
Join the Men’s Project!
Interested candidates can fill out the application through the link below.
If you know of men who may be interested, please forward potential candidates’ names and all known contact information to the Men’s Project Facilitators, Anthony Figueroa & Keshav Desibhatla .
