Yuva Maitri (Friendship Among Youths) : MAVA’s Initiative on Gender
Through this initiative, men are engaging as change agents on gender-issues including domestic violence.
About You
About You
First Name
Harish
Last Name
Sadani
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA)
Organization Website
Organization Country
India, MM
Country where this project is creating social impact
India, MM
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
Yuva Maitri (Friendship Among Youths) : MAVA’s Initiative on Gender
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (you've got demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for more than 5 years
THE NEED: Describe the need for your solution and the size/dynamic of the community (ies) you will engage
Through this pioneering initiative, a rich pool of self-motivated and committted male communicators is being generated. These communicators are engaging, inspiring and mentoring many young men in promoting a wider, healthy dialogue on issues surrounding masculinity and gender-sensitive behavior. They are exploring various ways and evolving specific action plans to prevent gender-based violence against women.
The processes, learnings and resource material developed at the initiative is being disseminated to developmental professionals, women’s groups, health-care providers, academicians and other interested community organizations across the state, exhorting them to adapt / replicate similar efforts in their area of work engaging men.
Women’s groups in respective regions and the media are seriously noting the developments at the initiative and providing further boost to it.
The main impact of the initiative is that young men are and would be seen as change agents, taking ownership of issues (which have been largely seen over the years as women's issues). They are and would be seen as a major forcé in addressing issues of violence against women.
THE SOLUTION: Please explain what your solution offers and how it is innovative. How will you put your solution into the hands of users or beneficiaries? Be specific!
Over the years, gender issues – including gender-based violence against women have been seen largely as ‘‘women’s issues’’ by women’s organizations, other developmental activists and governmental bodies. This approach isolates and insulates men from the process of transformation and keeps them embedded in their patriarchal mould. Men, often become violent, aggressive, and uncaring due to patriarchal modes of socialization that moulds their psyche. The situation necessitates efforts that address how men can analyze perceptions of masculinity and create appropriate alternatives. There is also an equal need for positive role models among men, who assert a gender-sensitive society and can engage young men in the discourse. Thus, to address the root cause of the problem, focused, long-term efforts promoting men’s involvement (simultaneously with women’s empowerment) are required at various levels. Men have to be involved not as supporters (or do-gooders) but as ‘partners’ and ‘stakeholders.’ For the past 3 years, MAVA has been closely, passionately working with a sizeable number of male youths (of 18 to 20 years) in 2 districts - Pune and Mumbai, on issues surrounding masculinity, sexual health and gender-sensitive behavior.The initiative, only of its kind in India, with encouragement by College Faculty and Universities, grassroots voluntary organizations, women’s groups, media and donor agencies (present and potential), is been gradually being up-scaled to 4 other districts of Maharashtra state.
THE MODEL: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference through use of information technology and media
The initiative began in August 2006 when 33 male students from 6 rural and semi-rural colleges in Pune district, having leadership skills and creative potential, were selected and intensely trained as ‘Communicators’ for a year. A wide range of youth-friendly and cost-effective media like interactive workshops featuring group-discussions, games, awareness songs, posters, film-screenings, street-theatre, exposure-visits, youth-festivals, debates and attractive wall-newspapers (monthly, every issue focusing on one gender theme) were used as part of the intensive one-year training. In the second year of the initiative, 17 trained student communicators began communicating with their peers on gender, healthy relationships, masculinity and related matters. Weekly awareness sessions (one to one and a half hours each) were conducted by them in groups in their respective colleges, from mid-August to December 2007. Through experiential learning and revisiting formation of gender norms, they provided platforms to communicate with peers using all the youth-friendly media (used in the first year) extensively. They conducted several outreach programs for general student population (including girl students) and the neighboring community. Wall newspapers were prepared and displayed prominently by the communicators on varied themes like Healthy Male-Female Friendship, Ban on Sex Education in schools by legislators, Farmers’ Suicides etc.
THE MARKETPLACE: Who are your peers and competitors? What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
• The student population in the colleges is a highly mobile group, wanting to involve in several curricular and co-curricular activities while studying. For the core team of student communicators and even the participating peer students in my initiative, ‘Yuva Maitri’ was one of the many Projects in which they were involved. The challenge was to engage the students using innovative, youth-friendly ways so that their motivation is increased and they find Project useful.
•Masculinity is intrinsically linked with ‘performance’ by men at various phases of life. One aspect of performance is the shouldering of responsibility to earn and sustain the family. In rural areas of India, the constant pressures to perform this role at an early age - even before completing their studies (compared to urban areas) and the inability to express these pressures was evident among many of the students at the Project, from to time. Poor financial circumstances at home was just an additional factor for many student communicators to take up jobs / employment.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
FOUNDING STORY: We want to hear about your “Aha!” moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution’s potential to change the world.
I have pioneered efforts in India towards building a movement that explores the role of men as 'partners' and 'stakeholderrs' addressing gender issues (including gender-based violence against women) through innovative strategy that includes cultural advocacy, direct intervention and youth education.
After completing my Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in 1989, I have worked with many voluntary organizations (like Child Rights and You - CRY and Blind Men's Association), women's groups and corporates (like GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals) on issues of gender-justice and social development for over 21 years. I am a founder-member and Chief Functionary of MAVA - Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), Mumbai. I have promoted and implemented innovative ideas on gender and sexuality matters and currently upscaling the innovation in India. I have co-authored a Book called ‘Breaking the Moulds’ brought in July 2007 – first of its kind in India, containing expressions by men on a wide range of gender, masculinity and sexuality matters.
Specify both the depth and scale of your solution’s social impact to date
The Project aims at reaching out to specifically young men, age-group of 18 - 20 years, from colleges and rural communities, in select districts of Maharashtra state. As on date, it has reached out to over 20,000 young men and 5000 young women. It plans to reach out to more than 6000 more Young men in the next 2 years.
What is your projected impact within the next 1-5 years? Is your idea replicable? If so, how?
Through this initiative, a rich pool of self-motivated and committted male communicators is being generated. These communicators are engaging, inspiring and mentoring many young men in promoting a wider, healthy dialogue on issues surrounding masculinity and gender-sensitive behavior. They are exploring various ways and evolving specific action plans to prevent gender-based violence against women. The processes, learnings and resource material developed at the initiative is being disseminated to developmental professionals, women’s groups, health-care providers, academicians and other interested community organizations across the state, exhorting them to adapt / replicate similar efforts in their area of work engaging men.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and mark growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Six-Month Tasks
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
12-Month Tasks
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
How many people have been impacted by your project?
1,001 - 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
More than 10,000
Sustainability
Explain how your company, program, service or product is structured
Non-profit
What barriers have hindered the success of your project to date? How do you plan to overcome these and other challenges as you grow your solution?
How do you see the information-technology and media sectors shifting over the next decade? How will your solution adapt to and/or drive that changing environment?
Failure is not always an option. If your solution fails to gain traction in the next two years, what other applications of the idea could you explore?
Expand on your selections, explaining how you will sustain funding
Tell us about your partnerships
What type of team (staff, volunteers, etc.) will ensure that you achieve the growth milestones identified in the Social Impact section?
Changemakers is a collaborative and supportive space. Please specify any community resources you would need to grow and sustain your initiative. Select all that apply
Specify any resources you might offer to support other initiatives. Select all that apply
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren’t specified within the list
Summary
Define your company, program, service or product in 1-2 short sentences
Yuva Maitri (Friendship Among Youths) : MAVA’s Initiative on Gender & Masculinity Engaging Young Men and Redefining Masculinity
Identify what is innovative about your solution in 1-2 short sentences
Through this initiative, men are engaging as change agents on gender-issues including domestic violence.
 | 36 weeks agoHarish Sadani submitted this idea. |
