On March 20th, the International Seminar 10 years of the H and M Programs took place with the aim of debating the different ways of applying the methodologies of the H and M Programs, internationally recognized as models for the engagement of men and women in gender equality. The event also aimed to share the lessons learned over the ten years to plan future actions aimed at promoting equality between men and women.
The programs were born in Brazil and over the last 10 years their methodology has been adapted and disseminated in 21 countries. Program H has already been subjected to more than nine impact assessment surveys in different contexts, seven of which showed relevant positive results in achieving change in participants' attitudes. Program H was considered one of the best practices in promoting gender equity by UNICEF, World Bank, UNFPA, UNDP, Inter-American Development Bank and the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization.
The Seminar brought together the partners who created the programs, ECOS, Papai and Cultura & Salud. In addition to other historical partners who have been using the methodologies in their countries and students, professionals, community leaders and women's movement activists. Several countries were represented such as Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, Mozambique, Venezuela, France and the United States. And different cities in Brazil such as Recife, Macaé, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Saquarema, São Gonçalo, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.
“The H program introduced flexibility in working with men from a gender perspective, it is a methodology of affection, pleasure, the subjective”, said Benedito Medrado, from Instituto Papai, partner in creating the Program. Bianca Efrom, from Petrobras, spoke the experience of the project developed by the company in partnership with Promundo aiming to reduce the impact of major works, especially with regard to sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy and gender inequality. “I wondered if 16 hours of workshops would change people, but when I participated in one and heard the story of a mother, I was able to see that these 16 hours already make a difference in changing people's attitudes,” said Bianca.
Andreza Jorge, consultant at Promundo-Brasil, gave an exciting account of her life story which, according to her, can be divided into two moments: 1st) when she was a teenager and had contact with the JPEG project developed by Promundo na Maré and which was decisive in her trajectory and 2nd) Today, at 24 years old, working with the topic and holding workshops on Gender for young people. “I want to pass on the models that were presented to me in the workshops, which made me move forward, study, work, be who I am”.
Marcos Nascimento, former director of Promudo and coordinator of CLAM (Latin American Center for Sexuality and Human Rights), closed the seminar by asking about future steps. “How do we move beyond the project level and elevate these methodologies to scale, with intervention quality, with dialogue with public policies. And how do we carry out this dialogue in such dark times when the issue of gender and sexuality has been used by parliamentarians as a bargaining chip?”, he asked.
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