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Description
Police statistics show that more than 90% of suspects and more than 97% of people serving prison sentences, including for acts of violence, are male - adults and minors. When the problem of crime is analysed according to gender, there is no question that even at an early stage, boys commit violence or get into trouble with the law much more frequently. Violence committed by boys against other boys and girls is justified by many stereotypes and messages conveyed in the community as a normal means of coping, and this condemns conduct based on empathy and collaboration. In Poland, there are no schemes intended for boys to help them understand the mechanisms in which they could be caught up by acting according to the male stereotype, formed around violence, aggression, and dominance. The project comprises measures that centre around creating and developing a method of raising awareness of violence prevention issues, aimed at boys of school age. The basic precepts for this method will be reviewed by a team of experts, who will also devise a training program for future trainers in the method. In the Violence Prevention Trainer School SZTAMA, sixteen men will develop their workshop skills, and then conduct workshops for almost 100 boys. In addition, under the campaign Sixteen days of Violence Prevention trainers will organise four events in their local communities. As part of the project, a handbook will be produced for people who complete the School''s courses, and this will be a basis for developing the method. The best practices followed in other countries will be also descibed in a report. The project envisages 5 webinars with international experts on masculinity and men''s roles in preventing gender-based violence. The project will be summarised at a conference to promote the project results and raise awareness amongst boys. The conference will be accompanied with the start of a Coalition for supporting awareness of violence prevention for boys.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of violence and aggression among boys. Police statistics show that more than 90 % of suspects and more than 97 % of those incarcerated for crime, including acts of violence, are men. Gender analysis of the phenomenon allows us to conclude that at an early stage boys are much more likely to be perpetrators of violence than girls. Many stereotypes and social messages justify boyish violence as a normal strategy for dealing with emotions, stigmatising behaviour based on empathy and cooperation. In Poland, there are no programmes addressed to boys to support them in understanding the patterns they may fall into when pursuing a stereotypical model of masculinity based on violence, aggression and domination. Unfortunately, the questioning and exhortation by public officials to denounce the so-called Anti-violence Convention is not conducive to this type of action.
As part of the project, the project promoter created and developed an anti-violence education method designed for school-age boys. Among other things, a training programme for future trainers was created, and as part of the SZTAMY School of Anti-violence Trainers, 16 men developed the competences necessary for workshop work and obtained the appropriate certificatesand then conducted 8 two-day workshops for nearly 100 boys. In addition, as part of the “16 Days Against Violence” campaign, the trainers organised 11 local and online events . The project promoter also developed a handbook for the School''s graduates and a publicly available Catalogue of Good Practice used in other countries. There were also 5 webinars on masculinities and men''s participation in countering gender-based violence. During the project''s closing conference, the ''Coalition to Support Anti-Violence Education for Boys'' was established.
Through the project, an innovative method of anti-violence work with boys was developed and disseminated. The 16 trainers have gained competence to work with boys, which has had a strong impact on the availability of anti-violence workshops for boys and the popularity of the method itself. The project is a unique educational measure on the map of anti-violence initiatives, as it is one of the few that focuses on working with stereotypical models of masculinity and boys, for whom this type of offer has so far been lacking. Ultimately, the project will benefit boys and men who are still so widely socialised in Poland to pursue a masculinity based on aggression and domination.