Boys Camp Progress Report

The effort to create a camp whose goal is to educate young men on gender issues and promote gender equality is well under way.  In this post you'll find information about how the boys' camp is drawing from Camp GLOW precedents while finding its own way in securing a place to hold the camp, collaborating with Nicaraguan counterparts, getting funding, and structuring activities. 

Near the end, you'll also find a list of links of materials being used to guide the content of camp. Check it out!

Boys just wanna have fun (too)!

The GAD Committee is proud to announce that the first steps have been taken to create a camp to promote gender equality among young men.

GAD member and Health volunteer James giving a session on healthy masculinity using the "Hombres de Verdad" manual (check the resources page!) with a group of juvenile delinquents as part of their parole agreement

GAD has long recognized the importance of addressing male actors in the progression towards achieving gender equality, and with the creation of a camp that focuses on men and masculinity, the efforts that manifest Camp GLOW, another GAD staple, will achieve a sort of balance.  Indeed, it was at the suggestion of past GLOW planners that the seed for a men’s camp was planted.  At one point it was even suggested that Camp GLOW alternate participants every year to include young men.  Another suggestion was to integrate male and female campers into the same camp.  Happily, enough interest has been united in order to create a second gender camp, with similarities to Camp GLOW and a gender theme, without affecting the powerful experience that Camp GLOW has come to represent.  Camp GLOW and those who organize it have therefore fostered a younger brother.

Mark your calendars! Upcoming: Day of the Girl and Men’s Day

October 11^th is internationally celebrated as Día de la Niña (known in English as Day of the Girl or Day of the Girl Child) to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. It’s only 4 weeks away! Here are some ideas for celebrating in your site…

• Host a movie night with films like Girl Rising or other local variations that show the challenges girls face and their potential to contribute to their communities. (click here for our post on gender consciousmovie nights)
• Perform plays and sing songs about the importance of girls' education at primary schools
• Do a poster contests depicting girls’ life goals or women’s role in work or society
• Hold a sports tournament for girls—volleyball, soccer and kickball are all huge hits.
• Organize mentoring activities for girls, such as Take Our Daughters to Work
• Have a parade, feria or other public event with local women’s groups
• Discuss how gender norms affect the classroom with teachers in your town (more info on this to come!)

PCV Project: Torneo de Billar

Generally when we work in sexual and reproductive health we focus on youth and pregnant women. This makes sense in that they are a sexually active population, or soon to be sexually active and they are often under-informed or misinformed about their sexual health and rights. Also, they are fairly accessible populations here in Nicaragua, what with casa maternas and high schools in every town.

But there is one very large and powerful population that we too-often forget about, MEN!

They are half of the population after all, and in the machismo culture that exists in Latin America, men often hold most of the power within their relationships, families, and communities. Because of this, working with men can be intimidating and uncomfortable for a lot of volunteers. One idea that came out of the manual Aquí entre nos from Peace Corps Honduras is the Billiards Tournament.

The idea is simple, gather a group of men in the local Billiards Hall and hold a Tournament. The only catch is that the tournament also includes presentations about HIV/AIDS and condom use, and in the final game the players have to answer questions based on the information from the presentations.

During the Health 63 practicum week in my site, we pulled off a very successful Billiards Tournament. It was definitely one of the most fun and rewarding events in my first year of service. Here are a few things that went well with the tournament that we hosted.