YMEP and lesson learned

1. YMEP and lesson learned • How we brought back experience from the project Young men as equal partners to Sweden

2. About RFSU and me • The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education, is a politically and religiously independent member organisation dedicated to promoting an unprejudiced and open-minded attitude to sex and relationship issues, through information, education and lobbying. • Pelle Ullholm • Sexuality educators since 2001. Today master trainers of RFSU-trainers . I educates both professionals, RFSU-trainers, and end users (mostly teenage boys).

3. Our Swedish project - boys groups • Pilot project during three years with the same group of educator in the suburbs of Stockholm. • Developing new methods based on evidence and experience. • Processed based learning for educators and the boys. • It was a bit like a very long work shop.

4. Results: Evaluation with teachers, school staff and headmaster • A calmer and safer environment in school • Decrease in homophobic and sexist language • More verbal and discussion keen pupils

5. Results: Evaluationwith the boys • We had more than 90 % turnout in all sessions • 65 out of 76 boys answered on our project evaluation • 50 gave us the highest mark 5 (exellent) • 15 gave us 4 (very good) • A big majority wanted to continue with the sessions • Many wanted the facilitators as ordinary teachers

6. Disposition & topics of discussion: • 1st meeting: Presentation, rules, association around sex/sexuality, anatomy • 2nd: Film “First time", the concept of virginity, condoms • 3rd: Reciprocity, love and LGBT • 4th: Masculinities - to be/become a boy/man • 5th: Violence (physical, mental, sexual), sexual harassment (whore-player principle, double standard) • 6th: Visit to the youth clinic, STIs and condom school (attitudes/values) • 7th Pornography, internet, closure

7. Method • Size of group • about ten boys in each group with two professional sexuality educators from RFSU • How often • once a week, 7-10 times/semester, each session at least 90 minutes • Where? • In school, on ordinary school time (but not compulsory) • Important to have time between the sessions to give the boys time to think and reflect around the issues we discuss.

8. Three basic perspectives in YMEP

9. Partners • The rule of mutual respect, consentand understanding • The right to integrity and the responsibility to respect other people’s integrity. The aim is to understand each other and at the same time be faithfull to yourself.

10. Partner: Sex and gender • Focusing on gender inequalitymainlyregarding the right toshape and express yoursexuality and relations. We talk aboutsexual spacesregarding sex and gender. • Weexplain the differencebetween sex and gender. Usingyouthfriendlymethodswedescribehow gender is a social construction and it can and willalwayschange • A negative wiew on females sexuality is a very important topic. This will shape a dominant masculinity.

11. Partners: Hetero-, homo- and bisexuality • Talking about hetero-, homo- and bisexuality as very similar and equal.Butwetalk aboutthatsexual spacesdiffer and itsrelatedtopower. • This is important for sexual health, for a right perspective and for a positive view on sexuality. • Regarding masculinity homophobia and a negative wiew on females sexuality are very important topic. This will shape a dominant masculinity.

12. Client - Young men and questions • Question box. Using their own questions will involve them. Answer every single question. Tips: Internet based question boxes • Anatomy. Facts about genitals. Emphasising changes in the puberty, sexual response and pleasure. Similarities between male and female genitals • Relations. How to flirt, how to show what you want. • Violence. A broad perspective based on their own experience. • Condoms, testing and STI:s. Knowledgeaboutconodms, tests, vist a clinic.

13. Agent of change • Gender. Howmasculinityis a social construction and it can and willalwayschange, by givingexamples • The wiewofchanges. Potential, responsibility and obligations • Youthfriendlymethods. Howtodescribemasculinitytheorywhentalkingtoboys? Method: MasculinityBOX • Focus on masculinity– Focus on masculinitynot men or boys • Boys friendly approach. Knowingtheireverydaylife and respectingtheir positions right here is involving in it self

14. Agent of change • Goals • Acknowledge gender inequality • Acknowledge that it also affects boy’s and men’s life's in negative ways • Acknowledge that masculinity is a social construction. • Keep in mind: Just being in the group of boys and only listening and talking in a normcritical wayabout sex, love, feelings, friendship and family is challenging the dominant masculinity.

15. Mainstreaming • We educated all trainers in the organisation and involved this perspective when meeting young boys and girls • We added this perspective when educating professionals atyouth friendly clinics and teachers • We presented this small project when meeting other NGOs working in the field of gender • In short we did not scaled up this project at all. We involved it in our regular work.

16. Scaling up • Right now we work with two new project where we involving this thinking. This is the right time to scaling up. • Youth clubs in eight different cities. Focusing on educating the professionals and involving the leaders of the cities. • Soccer for all. Now we work with the biggest soccer club in Sweden. Focusing on educating the trainers in issues about sexism, racism and masculinity.

17. Thank you! • pelle.ullholm@rfsu.se • Facebook: PelleUllholm