This presentation will share the work and evaluation findings of the Men's Story Project (MSP), and principles for engaging men in personal, public storytelling for intersectional gender justice.
Founded in California in 2008, the MSP is an innovative movement-building project for healthy masculinities. Rooted in interdisciplinary research, the MSP helps groups create live productions in which diverse men publicly share bold, personal stories that examine social ideas about masculinity - so as to promote health and equality for people of all genders. The live events are filmed to create locally-relevant social media, films and educational tools.
In each MSP production, the presenters share candid personal stories with a live audience - on topics such as family and romantic relationships, gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, bullying, LGBTQ+ issues, mental health, journeys of personal change, and intersections with race/ethnicity and other aspects of identity. The presenters employ diverse mediums (e.g., prose, poetry, music, dance, comedy, visual art), followed by audience dialogue and a resource fair. MSP presenters have included students, artists, athletes, veterans and others. The MSP aims to be a feminist, intersectional, anti-racist, gender-transformative initiative.
40+ live MSP productions have taken place in the U.S., Chile, Canada, Gaza Strip and West Bank, in partnership with universities and civil society organizations. The MSP is structured for local implementation and adaptation, and can be integrated with other gender-transformative programs. Implementing groups receive training - including on harm prevention, accountability, and how to support men in crafting their stories for social change. 

There is compelling evidence from gender interventions in Upper Egypt that engaging men is critical to transform deeply rooted gender inequities. Through the Enabling Better Parenting for Non-Violence and Inclusion (EBNI) project, a two-year intervention that was implemented from September 2019 to November 2021 in three governorates in Upper Egypt, eight grassroots Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in eight villages were supported with the goal of enabling men and women to engage in more equitable relationships. The project employed a comprehensive strategy to utilize Social and Behavior Change (SBC) to inspire men to alter deeply rooted gender power dynamics within and outside the household unit, which is the focus of this presentation. Engaging men in gender programming in Upper Egypt was not a commonly used approach prior to the project, so piloting engagement strategies was needed to confirm their transformative effect. The project mobilized local youth and leaders through grassroots CBOs to identify and implement locally appropriate activities that engage men on issues of respectful and non-violent gender behaviors. CBOs were trained on gender and SBC frameworks and methodologies to design more effective and nuanced male engagement activities. Additionally, the support of local religious and community leaders was sought so they could reinforce the messaging that was being delivered. Project evaluation results revealed a drastic shift in men's perceptions of gender roles and dynamics, and the overwhelming majority of men expressed that they are satisfied with the male engagement activities employed.

South Sudan has one of the poorest reproductive health indicators in the world. Contraceptive prevalence rate is 5% and 1.7% of women report using modern methods. There is significant male resistance to contraceptive use, with examples of providers threatened with physical violence for providing services. The Women's Integrated Sexual Health 2 (W2A) Programme, funded by FCDO and led by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) supports integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) services across Africa and Asia. W2A seeks transformational change through addressing social and gender norms, creating an environment for women and girls to access SRH information and services. Round 1 of the W2A Client Exit Interviews (CEIs), reported 31% of FP clients in South Sudan disagreed with the statement that their partner supports her decision to come for services, which was validated by results from a W2A qualitative study on perceptions of community gatekeepers and male engagement in SRHR; gender roles and stereotypes contributed significantly to men and gatekeeper's lack of involvement and support for contraception. Reproductive Health Association of South Sudan (RHASS) engaged men to create an enabling environment for women and girls to access SRH information and services. This included conducting community entry meetings with gatekeepers, empowering them to become advocates, mobilizing and participating in community dialogues. Round 2 of CEIs showed an improvement in perceived partner support, with only 18% reported disagreeing that their partners were supportive of their decision to come for services as compared 31% in round one of the CEIs.