Guy-to-Guy Project - Brazil

From its start, the Guy-to-Guy Project has been grounded in research in the low-income communities Rio de Janeiro in which the project operates. For instance, beginning in 1999, a yearlong period of qualitative research was carried out with local young men to identify, understand, and eventually recruit young men who already questioned the use of violence against women. Based on this investigation, organisers identified key commitments on which the project would be based:

1. The need for group and individual activities with young men to promote reflections about life histories and help young men perceive the downsides, or "costs" of some traditional versions of masculinity
2. Offering young men opportunities to be mentored, or to have thoughtful interactions with more gender-equitable men in the community
3. Promoting more gender-equitable norms in young men's peer groups and at the community level.

Based on these commitments, organisers recruited, trained, and supervised 15 "peer promoters". To be considered (and to remain in the programme), the young men had to be enrolled in school, participate in at least 80% of the sessions, and live up to norms promoted by the group (e.g., not engage in gang activity). A stipend (bolsa) was provided to group participants on a monthly basis. (PROMUNDO indicates that many young men would not be able to participate if they did not receive a financial incentive. For some, this stipend is the only income their families have. The stipend is also meant to help create a work ethic.) Adult men from the community - those who adhered to gender-equitable standards - served as group facilitators and modeled relationships based on respect and dialogue rather than power. In group sessions, PROMUNDO used a "talking stick" with the group for the first 6 months of the project to promote understanding and dialogue, symbolically and literally distributing power evenly. (Initially, many of the young men showed little respect when others were speaking. Drawing on Native American traditions, group members asked permission to hold the stick when they wanted to speak - a sign for others to remain quiet and listen to the speaker's words.)

After the training period was complete, PROMUNDO's initial intention was to divide the young men into groups of 3 or 4 that would aim to reach approximately 1000 adolescent boys through informational presentations each year. However, participants indicated that they feared they would be ridiculed during such encounters, and felt that they did not have the needed information or poise. The idea of making a play emerged. In sharing their personal stories within the group, 2 members wrote short texts about violence against women; one was fictional, the other was based on his family experiences. The texts were submitted to an essay contest on family violence at the University of São Paulo, and one of them one received an honourable mention. Inspired by this success, the young men turned this text into a play that encourages their peers not to resort to violent behaviour toward women. All 15 young men participate in the play - some of them playing female roles. A photonovela, with pictures from the community and using the young men's own words, is distributed at each performance. This title of the play and the photonovela - "Cool your head, man" - is the young men's own phrase, used to urge their peers to reflect before they act violently. At the end of the play, the young men present a rap song that they wrote and choreographed. The song, entitled "United for Peace", includes these words: "Put your hand on your conscience and stop and think awhile." In the first 2 years of the project, the play was presented to more than 3000 people; audiences included young people in various communities and schools around Rio de Janeiro, staff from city and state government organisations, and youth and youth leaders at various conferences and seminars.

Another element of this project is developing and implementing a condom social marketing initiative for and with young men, with a distribution and sales system designed by the young men themselves - both as a way to promote condom use and to provide an ongoing income for the project. In conjunction with research undertaken by PROMUNDO with 224 young men, the group created a fictional character based on young men in the community called Calixto, a 19-year old from Bangu. The peer promoters came up with over 20 names for a youth-oriented condom, selecting Hora H (roughly, "The Heat of the Moment") after focus group discussions with other young men. The youth developed packaging, working to make the instructions youth-friendly. They then collaborated with a graphics company to develop a logo for the condom that would transmit the messages of "new, young, safe and pleasure" and tested these messages in one-on-one interviews and focus groups in the community. The group decided to develop a magazine that they personally would sell along with 3 condoms. (Buying a magazine, they reasoned, was less embarassing than buying condoms). The magazine also promotes safer sex behaviours and communicates gender-equitable messages. The group has developed a number of raps about condoms and a short sketch to promote condom use, which they present to youth groups and schools in the community. They have also practiced a variety of promotional approaches through role play to prepare them for individual interaction with other young people. The group also decided to develop a leaflet on why and how to use a condom, and where to get condoms in the community to hand out to young people, even when they do not want to buy Hora H condoms.

The peer promoters are working with PROMUNDO to develop additional educational materials for boys on gender-based violence and relevant health needs and concerns. For example, the young men worked on an animated video called "Once upon a Boy", which explores what it means to be a man. Other young men in the group have been hired to serve as interviewers or research assistants on research projects carried out by PROMUNDO with other partner organisations. They have also participated in the creation of the White Ribbon Campaign in Brazil, a campaign of men working to end violence against women.

Gender-based Violence, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Young Men.

PROMUNDO is a Brazilian NGO affiliated with JSI Research and Training Institute, Boston (USA), that works in collaboration with national and international organisations in the areas of public health, human rights, AIDS prevention, and social development. PROMUNDO also is affiliated with John Snow Brazil Consultancy, an international company working in the area of strategic social development.