Training and Mentorship Resources
Featured below are a range of programs, tools and initiatives aiming to enhance capacity building for boys, men and those who work with them to improve boys’ and mens’ health and well-being. These resources focused on training and mentorship are tailored toward various subgroups, including young men, military veterans, older men and clinicians working with boys and men.
Next Gen Men (NGM)
NGM is a non-profit organization that offers a range of programs, initiatives and resources to reach boys and men with the goal of equipping them to thoughtfully (re)think about their masculinities. These efforts include the online NGM Alliance, the offline Rites of Passage Expeditions, training and tools for adults via Next Gen Mentors, telling stories through publishing Voice Male, and facilitating conversations for men about mental health and psychological safety through Movember SpeakEasy workshops and other Equity Leaders offerings.
GuysWork
Supported by the Nova Scotia Status of Women Office and Women and Gender Equality Canada, GuysWork is a school-based program for young men (Grades 6-9), where they examine how traditional masculine norms impact their health and the health of their peers. With teachers, school counsellors, school-based specialists and/or community members as program facilitators, GuysWork happens during instructional time with lessons in Grades 6-9, with all lessons aligned with NS provincial curriculum.
WiseGuyz
Developed by the Centre for Sexuality in Alberta in 2010, WiseGuyz is an evidence-informed, participatory and gender-transformative life skills program focused on healthy sexuality and relationships, and the prevention of gender-based violence for male-identifying individuals in Grade 9. Specifically, with the goal to promote healthy sexuality and healthy relationship development while decreasing attitudes related to homophobia and gender-based violence, WiseGuyz is offered to grade 9 boys who are 13 – 15 years old. WiseGuyz runs weekly within selected schools in Calgary and area, comprising four sequential core modules that are facilitated over the course of the school year: i) healthy relationships, ii) sexual health, iii) gender, sexuality and the media, and iv) human rights, advocacy and allyship. WiseGuyz is also offered in community settings to boys aged 12-18 in partnership with other community organizations.
Veterans Transition Network
The research-backed programs at Veterans Transition Network have been helping Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police men and women across Canada, actively serving or retired, to overcome difficulties commonly faced when transitioning out of service. Consisting of two distinct courses, the Level 1 Transition Skills Course (TSC) is a 5-day in-person, retreat-based workshop that aims to empower veterans while normalizing their transition journey through shared experiences with peers. The Level 2 Therapeutic Enactment Course is an intensive therapy that integrates cognitive, emotional and behavioural processes to heal traumatic memories. No fees are required for either course, and all Canadian Forces or RCMP Veteran can attend the programs, regardless of trade, branch, gender or where they are stationed.
The Canadian Military, Veteran, and Family Connected Campus Consortium (CMVF3C)
With support from the Government of Canada, the CMVF3C project seeks to ensure that the health of all veterans is promoted through securing meaningful employment upon release from the Canadian Armed Forces. This includes building health literacy skills and advancing the qualifications acquired during service to improve their life quality and work outcomes. The four key groups in which the consortium will support are: i) current serving military members who want to increase their education and knowledge while continuing to serve, ii) current serving military members who are transitioning out of the military, iii) veterans, and iv) families of these groups seeking to pursue further education and training.
First Responder Resilience Program (FRRP):
The FRRP is designed, developed and delivered by Blueprint – a non-profit education and training organization focused on men – to enhance the psychological resilience of police and firefighter first responders in British Columbia. Specifically, the FRRP is residential/retreat-based and offers an intensive 34 hours of skill development to first responders to strengthen their domestic, organizational and operational stress competence and capacity, as a means to address symptoms associated with routine exposure to operational stressors in the workplace, injury-related leave and domestic impacts of service. Intended to complement existing services offered in the workplace and the community, FRRP can be delivered to i) firefighters, ii) law enforcement officers, iii) military personnel and veterans, iv) paramedics and v) search and rescue personnel.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Canada
A grassroots nonprofit organization that provides leadership and resources for prostate cancer advocacy, support, education and research across Canada. A primary resource includes the “If I Were Tom” video series that was intended to provide resources throughout men’s prostate cancer journeys.
SHARe (Sexual Health and Rehabilitation) Initiative
The initiative comprises two parallel projects. The SHARe Clinic pilot project offers an online sexual recovery tool with educational modules and access to sexual health coaches to help men restore sexual function and maintain sexual intimacy following treatment[s] for prostate cancer. The SHARe Training pilot offers specialized education to healthcare providers across Canada to equip them with skills and knowledge to support men who are living with prostate cancer and their partners.
Men in Mind
A world-first, online professional training program co-designed with practitioners and men to equip professional mental healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to engage male patients more effectively. It specifically aims to increase therapists’ skills and confidence to engage, connect with and respond more effectively to male clients. It has been scaled across Australia, and can be adapted for practitioners across other health professions and incorporated into tertiary curricula to develop gender competencies for working with men.