FAQ

The short answer is ‘no, but we can help you do it effectively’. The slightly longer answer is:

Men At Work C.I.C. draws on many years of delivering sessions directly with boys and young men to train you, as professionals, to do this in your work setting, with the boys and young men you know. To support you in this we offer you our one-day training session, our 10 Dialogues programme manual and ongoing online contact. This work is all about supporting you in optimising existing relationships, benefiting from time, familiarity and ongoing dialogue, not ‘flash-in-the-pan’ visits and one-off events. We don’t say ‘yes, of course we’ll offer workshops / assemblies / talks to your boys and young men” just because ‘it’s money’, then come into and exit from your setting as strangers, leaving no legacy for staff in terms of confidence or skills, having trousered your hard-pressed cash. That kind of work would not feel ethical and have little to no impact. Having said that, we are always open to discussing how we might collaboratively do some introductory work with boys and young men – but as an addition to staff training

Our core business is prioritising the up-skilling of staff to facilitate ongoing, purposeful and meaningful work with your boys and young men.

Yes. We believe in the value of working with single-sex groups of boys and young men. It provides a particular kind of focus which experience – and research – suggests facilitates engagement with this particular kind of work. That is not to say that fantastic work in the realms of #RSE and #PSHE cannot be done in mixed sex groups – far from it – but for a conversation that requires boys and young men to focus on their experience of being socialised through masculinity as boys and young men, then being in a group of only male peers is desirable.

The short answer is ‘no, we train anyone who sees the point in it’. The slightly longer answer is: we live in a society where men are under-represented in key sectors e.g. Social Work, Early Years, Primary and Secondary teaching, Teaching Assistants and Family Support work. These roles are all ideal for this kind of work so it means that there has been a historical balance towards more female than males taking the training. That same world also tells us that even where there is obvious need and opportunity, men are sometimes unwilling (for a host of reasons) to engage, leaving it, de facto, to their female colleagues. There are exceptions, of course, but that’s been the general cultural trend to date. That said, we probably all agree that the more men get involved in constructive dialogues with boys and young men the better. It would be great to have a majority male engagement in the training and facilitation of this work, but we are not there yet.

If this work looks like something you’d like to get involved in, whether you’re a man or a woman, please do, but men, you are particularly encouraged, for reasons stated above! Thanks.

Yes. Men At Work CIC’s CPD Service member number is 016710 and the Accreditation Certification number is 40206