The BoyTalk Project: Guiding India’s Boys Through Conversations on Gender & Masculinity
Many boys from vulnerable neighborhoods become men at a time and in a way that alienates them from themselves. To encourage boys to develop healthy relationships with their masculinity from a young age, our community leaders have adapted Promundo’s Program H curriculum to create The BoyTalk Project manual, so that boys in India’s cities can have another way of being.
In child harm hotspots in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, we’ve identified 300 Youth Hosts who will conduct workshops with young men who want to change rigid gender narratives around “what it means to be a man.”
In Mumbai, seven youth leaders who are alumni of our program are engaging boys in their communities using rap, dance, theater, fitness, and gardening as entry points to deeper conversations about boys’ safety and gender roles. These youth leaders have established community groups that serve as safe places where adolescent boys can use the BoyTalk Project curriculum to explore and reflect on the strict norms of manhood that are thrust upon them.
The BoyTalk Curriculum
Boys with whom we work in Mumbai came together in 2018 to discuss and review the Program H curriculum created by Promundo-US, a tool that has been cited as a gender best practice by the World Bank and World Health Organization, and recommended by UNICEF for its effectiveness. It has been officially adopted by ministries of health in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Croatia, and this version of the tool is tailored for conversations with boys and young men in India.
What We’ve Been Seeing
Boys have been open about the need for spaces to have these conversations. Many speak about the burden placed on them from a young age to provide for their families, and to always be seen as strong and protective.
One of our alums started working with Aangan after three spending years in an Observation Home. When he left, one of our board members introduced him to the joys of urban gardening, a medium through which we started discussions with him on safety and mental health.
He now supplies organic produce to The Table and Kitchen Garden, and he shared with his mentor:
“Growing plants taught me to nurture and care for something outside of myself, and that was so different from what I was taught to do as a boy growing up in Mumbai. Today, I want to lead conversations with younger boys to cultivate this caring in themselves.”
It is with this spirit that the Youth Hosts we’ve identified from across the country lead conversations on gender with boys in their neighborhoods.
How You Can Get Involved
We invite young men at college campuses in the 6 hotspots we’ve identified to partner with boys in neighboring bastis to engage in BoyTalk. These meet-ups should be casual safe spaces for folks of all gender identities to engage in critical and self-reflective conversation about what parts of their masculinity they wish to embrace, and which gender norms do not serve them and enable them to live whole, fulfilled lives.
We also have opportunities for corporate volunteers to lead these conversations. Are there members of your staff who wish to mentor members of communities that your company impacts or interacts with? Our curriculum is designed for use even by those who have no prior experience in counseling or gender work.
If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to us at actnow@aanganindia.org. And happy World Mental Health Day!
