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Following the launch of Programme Ra<\/a> in July 2016 by Equimundo and Lebanese NGO ABAAD\u2013Resource Center for Gender Equality<\/a>, Equimundo\u2019s Jane Kato-Wallace spoke with three champions of the program about working with young men in Beirut for gender equality.<\/p>\n Programme Ra, adapted from Equimundo\u2019s flagship\u00a0Program H<\/a> with support from the\u00a0Womanity Foundation\u2019s\u00a0first-ever\u00a0Womanity Award<\/a>, encourages men and boys to challenge gender-based stereotypes, question traditional ideas of manhood, and contribute to ending all forms of gender-based violence in Lebanon.<\/p>\n Jane spoke with Tala Noweisser<\/a>, a School Counselor for Grades 5-12 at the Wellspring Learning Community School in Beirut, where Programme Ra was implemented for the first time in October 2016; with Hussein Safwan<\/a>, who provides psychosocial support services as part of ABAAD\u2019s Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) Program in Choueifat, Lebanon; and with Estephan \u201cTino\u201d Bechara<\/a>, a young man who participated in the first validation workshop of Programme Ra.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the classroom, if we asked boys to express their anger, they would do so violently. They wouldn\u2019t do it verbally because\u00a0that would necessitate expressing how they are feeling. \u2026 These norms hinder communication and don\u2019t help boys reach their goals,\u201d Tala said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first challenge is the stereotypical concepts of manhood and family traditions. \u2026 The second challenge is men\u2019s suppression of their emotions, because they think that only women have the right to express emotions. The negative consequence is that men and boys often use violence because it is a socially acceptable response to stress,\u201d Hussein said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe patriarchal system in which we are living is based on sectarian lines [so strong] that they can even prevent people from entering into romantic relationships with one another. Men in power would have us focus on our differences \u2013 like gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation \u2013 instead of on our similarities,\u201d Tino said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a program to help men break out of the \u2018box.\u2019 In addition, the men here in Lebanon would like to change, but they don\u2019t have a path to take the first step. Programme Ra is the first step for them,\u201d Hussein said.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope Programme Ra will spread the message and let people know we are all in this together, under one roof. \u2026 I want us to accept each other,\u201d Tino said.<\/p>\n \u201cI want [young men] to know that gender roles exist, to understand how to manage the different expectations, and to be able to speak up if there is anything that needs to change so they don\u2019t feel like they have to conform,\u201d Tala said.<\/p>\n Read the full interviews with Tala here<\/a>, Hussein here<\/a>, and Tino here<\/a>.<\/p>\nTala, Hussein, and Tino discussed the challenges men and boys in Lebanon face as a result of repressive gender norms:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The three champions also spoke about the hope they have for Programme Ra and the changes gender-transformative programming can encourage in communities: <\/strong><\/h4>\n