Talking to young men

We’re not trying hard enough to engage young men with messages and a culture of equality and respect. I’m 70 years old , and have got very very few points of reference with young men so I shouldn’t be doing it , and yet I still get asked.

Particularly during late November and early December , November 25th, the International Day to eradicate Violence against Women and the 16 days of activism that follow the requests come in and I accept as many as I possibly can –

Next week in a North West seaside resort I’ll be delivering up to 5 thirty minute workshops to Further Education college students in co-operation with the very hardworking local authority staff, and I find it very challenging .

I can deliver brilliant presentations ns workshops to conferences called “Involving men in challenging male violence” or something like that . Conferences like that will have a largely female audience and the small number of men who are there will have a professional interest in the topic ( probably working as police officers, local authority workers , fire fighters , health service ) . They are( or should be) all onside , hopefully engaged and the discussion is about tactics to achieve that engagement of men – starting from where men are, not being preachy etc etc

However working with a bunch of potentially indifferent and maybe hostile young men is a different matter and yet a huge responsibility –

I don’t expect a “Road to Damascus” conversion ( St Paul was persecuting Christians but had a vision and became a Christian ) , but having even a30 minute slot might be the only time when some of those young men may hear a view contrary to the constant drip drip drip of misogyny.

There’s plenty of evidence to show that one off interventions do not achieve very much but if that’s all there is …….

So it’s a responsibility ! I’ve done plenty of this type of thing before but even so I would love to do it better –

Wish me luck