From the 24th to the 31st of March we gathered around 30 participants in Milan, Italy, for our project 'I Act - Exploring Masculinities' with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
Together we discovered different expressions of masculinity and the power it holds in our societies and cultures.
Over the next two weeks, we want to share stories of some of the participants. Today we start with Nazarii from Ukraine and Nerses and Romik from Armenia.
Sharing our differences
Before coming to Milan and attending the seminar we had limited understanding of different types of masculinities, their effects on the society, the difference between boundary violations, sexual harassment and sexual abuse, the bystander model and other related topics.
Thanks to the “I act- Exploring masculinities” seminar organized by the IFM-SEI and the Council of Europe we got to get deeper in all these issues with the help of intercultural atmosphere, enthusiastic participants coming from all over Europe who were ready to share their understandings and experiences related to the seminar, and of course our experienced and knowledgeable facilitators.
The Bubble we lived in
During the whole seminar, we felt like we are in a bubble where everyone is ready to take your opinion and view into consideration, respect each other’s background and differences and discuss such vitally important topics in such a different atmosphere. But sadly, the real world is not still there. We should all act globally to make the world a little more like the bubble we all lived in during those 7 days. And we believe that the seminar gave us enough motivation and willingness to act and make a change in our local communities.
By Nerses and Romik, Armenia
Sharing is caring
What first came to your mind when you hear about masculinity? Probably average answer will be a list of words and terms for instance: father, patriarchy, power etc. From March 24 to March 31 I was part of a fantastic training seminar ‘Exploring masculinities’ organised and held by the International Falcon movement in Milan, Italy.
As I was trained as a theologian, I was afraid a little bit of how people will react to me. Despite all over differences religion, gender and personal experience we created one big family during the seminar. Through the whole week, there was not even a word of discrimination or any kind of insult.
Out of the box but in a community
In every session we were thinking and acting out of the box, this experience really helped a lot.
But the most moving part of the training was the group work and personal sharing during the sessions and evening conversations. We are all humans who were born and rose in particular cultural, national and religious traditions, but at the same time we all seekers who looking for our own path in this life. Sharing our experiences, we help others to get to know themselves better and find their way. Treat others with respect and love.
By Nazari, Ukraine
We have one more story coming for you by Indra from Belgium. So stay tuned!
Have you been part of this or another IFM-SEI activity? Do you want to tell us about your experience? Send us an email to comms@ifm-sei.org!
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