Young Men Initiative in GBV Prevention in North Macedonia II

October 22, 2023 Projects

The overall goal of the project is to increase the acceptance of healthy, nonviolent, and gender-equitable lifestyles among young men and women in North Macedonia. 

CARE partnered with Centre for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) to pilot initial Program M in North Macedonia for the first time in 2022. The project bult the skills necessary for young men to develop healthy relationships based on gender equality, to understand their physical, sexual and emotional development and to address all forms of violence in their everyday life. The first phase of the project actively involved two local municipalities in two towns, Gjorce Petrov and Gostivar, successfully engaged about 50 boys through educational workshops and 500 campaign activities, improving their attitudes towards masculinity, violence and healthy lifestyles.

The pilot revealed that Program M requires a longer, more sustained effort to effectively change young men’s views and behaviors. Consequently, the next phase expanded YMI to seven new municipalities, including Skopje, Tetovo, Ohrid, Struga, Kavadarci, and Negotino and upgraded programming via Program Y – an evidence-based educational curriculum that contributes to the development of functional knowledge, attitudes and psychosocial skills of young people, which are an important predispositions1 for their healthy and safer growing up.

Project will specifically:

• engage youth as active participants in addressing gender-based violence and promoting healthy relationships, encouraging them to become allies and advocates for gender equality. 
• extend and upgrade the YMI program in 7 more municipalities (9 in total) by increasing the capacities of local youth NGOs to apply the YMI methodology and mobilize up to 360 young men and women in nonviolent and gender equitable lifestyles; 
• raise awareness and build a tipping point for change of policy by fostering regional exchange of best practices among front line school workers and youth in the region in prevention of gender-based violence

Project is funded by Embassy of the Netherlands in North Macedonia and implemented by CRPM in partnership with CARE Balkans, and youth organizations selected through a competitive process.