Aimed at young men, Program H encourages reflection on rigid norms associated with masculinity and promotes the transformation of gender-related attitudes that produce inequalities.

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To develop the curriculum and approach for Program H (H for men or hombres in Spanish), Promundo conducted household questionnaires and qualitative surveys with young men to identify gender equitable attitudes and the factors that enable boys and young men to adopt attitudes and behaviors similar. Partner organizations in more than 20 countries around the world have adapted Program H activities, adapting them according to the local context and research results.

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Intervention

Group education activities that promote reflection and questioning about rigid norms of masculinity help young people to change unfair attitudes, pay more attention to their own health, and adopt healthier conflict management behaviors.

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Campaigns

Complementing the Program H methodology, the development of youth-led campaigns encourage youth protagonism and the dissemination of messages for positive social change in communities.

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Program H (H for men and hombres , in Spanish) was launched in 2002 by Promundo and partner organizations (Instituto Papai, ECOS, Salud y Género) and has already been adapted in more than 20 countries. Aimed at young men aged between 15 and 24, it aims to promote reflection on rigid norms associated with masculinity. It is based on several surveys carried out with young men in Brazil with gender equitable attitudes, which revealed that the adoption of these attitudes had been influenced by the presence of peers who supported gender equality, personal experiences of success associated with gender equality and the existence of positive male role models.

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Program H's methodology combines educational workshops with awareness campaigns developed by young people that aim to transform gender norms, such as the use of contraceptives or the division of domestic tasks. To complement these activities, Promundo makes the speechless cartoon Minha Vida de João available . The Program H manual has around 70 activities that can be used according to the needs of the communities. In 2014, the HMD Program manual was also launched , which is a compilation of the main activities of Programs H and M, including actions to promote sexual diversity (represented by the initial D). Generally, partners implement between 10 and 16 activities, once a week, over several months, along with community awareness campaigns, designed and implemented by the young people themselves.

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As organizations use Program H in their communities, they can use the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) scale to analyze changes before and after interventions and campaigns and thus evaluate their effectiveness. The GEM scale is a validated attitude scale, which has been adapted and applied in more than 20 contexts, recognized as an effective instrument for assessing attitudes about gender.

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Men who participated in Program H activities reported several positive changes, including increased use of contraceptives, improvements in relationships, greater availability to perform domestic and caregiving tasks, and lower incidences of sexual harassment and violence against women.

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Program H was considered good practice in promoting gender equality and preventing gender-based violence by the World Bank, the World Health Organization and cited by UNICEF and the United Nations for its effectiveness. It was also recognized by the Pan American Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Population Fund. It was officially adopted by the Ministries of Health in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Croatia, among others.

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Recognizing the need to work on the empowerment of young women in parallel with men, and based on the contributions given by the partners of participants in Program H, Program M (M de Mulheres e Mujeres , in Portuguese and Spanish) was launched in 2006. Program M seeks to encourage reflection on rigid gender norms and empowerment among young women. Promundo and partners recommend the adoption of both approaches and the inclusion of debates on sexual diversity and homophobia during the workshops.

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Schools have played a central role in the implementation of Programs H and M, providing receptive environments through which these approaches can be scaled up institutionally. In Brazil, Promundo launched the Gender Equity in Schools Portal with the aim of training teachers on the methodology of Programs H and M through a virtual environment, and in India the approaches of Program H were incorporated at government level, reaching 25 thousand schools.

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Related Programs:

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• Program M : Targeted at women, Program M focuses on promoting equitable gender roles, female empowerment, promoting sexual health and reproductive health, and promoting motherhood and caregiving.

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• Program D : Designed as a complement to Programs H and M, Program D combats homophobia and promotes diversity.

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• Gender Equity in Schools Portal (PEGE) : PEGE provides online training tools for teachers to promote gender equity in the classroom.

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Related Resources:

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Homens, masculinidades e políticas públicas: aportes para a equidade de gênero

Programa HMD: Manual Engajando Jovens na Promoção da Equidade de Gênero

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Manual H: Trabalhando com Homens Jovens

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