Education Authority Y Box Doc

Y-BOX AN EVIDENCE INFORMED FRAMEWORK FOR ENGAGING YOUNG MEN AROUND THE

THEMES OF VIOLENCE AND MASCULINITIES

DR COLM WALSH & LEIGH WHITTLEY OCTOBER 2025

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SECTION 1: THE FRAMEWORK

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SECTION 2: A Y-BOX RESOURCE

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PART ONE MALE YOUTH VIOLENCE: AN INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

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PREVENTION MODELS FOR YOUNG MEN AND INSIGHTS FROM RESEARCH

OVERALL AIM

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THE POLICY CONTEXT FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRACTICAL RESOURCE

THE NI CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S STRATEGY

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OVERVIEW OF THEMATIC AREAS

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PART TWO: A BACKGROUND TO THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

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TOPIC 1: MASCULINITIES

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ENGAGED RESEARCH - TARGETED YOUTH SERVICES

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TOPIC 2: VIOLENCE

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CO-PRODUCING A VIOLENCE PREVENTION FRAMEWORK FOR YOUNG MEN

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TOPIC 3: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

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PART THREE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK

SECTION 3: PRACTICAL RESOURCES

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AIM OF THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

THEME 1: MASCULINITY

OBJECTIVES OF THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

ACTIVITY: HEADS OR HEARTS (DEVELOPMENTAL GAME)

TARGET GROUP AND INCLUSIONARY CRITERIA

ACTIVITY: MAN BOX ACTIVITY: BIG BODY

LEVEL OF INTERVENTION

THEORY OF CHANGE

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THE KEY Y-BOX COMPONENTS CONTENTS

ACTIVITY: AGREE DISAGREE

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KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRAMEWORK

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ACTIVITY: MEN IN THE MEDIA

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PART FOUR: IMPLEMENTING THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

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THEME 2: VIOLENCE

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ACTIVITY: HOT SPOTS

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THE STRUCTURE AND MODE OF DELIVERY 20 EVIDENCE INFORMED CONSIDERATIONS FOR ENGAGING YOUNG MEN IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK 22 PRINCIPLES FOR ENGAGING YOUNG MEN IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION 24 PART FIVE: EVALUATING THE FRAMEWORK 25 ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES 25 PRIMARY OUTCOME 25 SECONDARY OUTCOME 26 KNOWLEDGE 26 VALUES 26 BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS 26 RECOMMENDED EVALUATION DESIGN 26 THE EVIDENCE BASE SO FAR 27

ACTIVITY: YES/NO

ACTIVITY: TRAFFIC LIGHTS

ACTIVITY: WANNA BET

ACTIVITY: TURNING POINTS

ACTIVITY: SPACES

ACTIVITY: MINDFULNESS EXERCISE EXAMPLES

THEME 3: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

ACTIVITY: HOT DATE

ACTIVITY: COME CLOSER

ACTIVITY: TOUCH

ACTIVITY: STAND BY ME

REFLECTION, PLANNING AND EVALUATING

APPENDIX 1

REFERENCES

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PART ONE MALE YOUTH VIOLENCE: AN INTRODUCTION Youth violence can be defined as violence that occurs among individuals 10-29 years who are unrelated and takes place outside of the home (WHO, 2022). It is a highly complex issue (Krug et al., 2002; Farrell and Zimmerman, 2017). It is also socially, psychologically and economically costly (Bellis et al., 2015), affecting the individuals that are directly exposed, but also entire communities where rates of violence are elevated (Fowler et al., 2009). Although pervasive in many societies, issues are exacerbated in post-conflict settings such as Northern Ireland (Walsh and Gray, 2021). A limited number of metrics currently exist to estimate exposure to violence and its harms. Police recorded crime data is one metric and this shows that in Northern Ireland violence against the person (VAP) has been steadily rising since 2012 (PSNI, 2023). Just like global patterns, there were reductions in community violence in NI during the Covid-19 pandemic, however, police recorded crime figures show that incidences have not only returned to pre-pandemic levels, but are currently exceeding those pre-pandemic figures (ibid). Violence, takes many forms and affects young people in different ways. Whilst we know little about prevalence, there have been a number of studies that illustrate how common exposure to violence is. For example, findings from NI’s first well-being prevalence survey found that violence was the single most commonly experienced trauma for young people (Bunting et al., 2020). Using data from the Young Life and Times survey, the Executive Office (2022) reported that among a representative sample of 16 years olds in Northern Ireland, more than half had experienced physical violence, 28% had reported being exposed to coercive control and 36% had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour. It is highly likely that these figures are even higher in some areas. For example, a series of cross sectional studies have found that as many as 40% of young people have a life-time exposure to direct victimisation and more than 50% have witnessed serious violence (Walsh, 2022). Combined, this points to the endemic nature of violence in some communities. For young men in particular, violence is a part of everyday life (Harland and McCready, 2015; Walsh and Schubotz, 2019). Young men are most at risk of community-based youth violence, but, they are also most likely to perpetrate violence against other young men and against girls and young women. Indeed, those such as Tomsen and Gadd (2019) suggest that most violence ‘is’ male violence, and often occurs in communities that are also affected by other forms of higher-harm violence such as paramilitarism and organised crime (Walsh, Doherty and Best, 2021; Walsh, 2022). Given the scale of violence, much of which is often hidden and unacknowledged, many argue that this represents a significant public health concern (Krug, 2002; Lee et al., 2014; Walsh, 2019). The public health impact of violence is illustrated by the range of harms that often follows exposure (Fowler et al., 2009). This includes elevated rates of psychological distress, increased rates of substance use, reduced educational attainment and increased violence offending (APA, 2018; Walsh, Doherty and Best, 2021). Understanding

SECTION 1: THE FRAMEWORK

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the characteristics of those who are most at risk and the factors that drive and sustain violence is central to the public health approach. If we accept that most violence is male violence, then we surely need to ask what drives male youth violence. Male youth violence has been theorised to be driven at least in part by masculinity-the socially constructed attitudes and attributes of being male (Lourenco et al., 2019; Taliep, Lazarus and Naidoo, 2021). These are often the ideals that promote the domination of some men and the subordination of other men, girls, and women (Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005). In contemporary Western societies, these ideals include things like independence, autonomy, superiority, dominance, heterosexuality and aggression (Ashe and Harland, 2014). Thus violence is highly symbolic, used to communicate messages to others, conform to expectations, and to consolidate social bonds (Lee, 2019). Of course most young men cannot attain these socially constructed expectations, and this perceived failure can produce strains (Agnew, 2002; APA, 2018). In short, young men believe that they have two options- continue to attain these ideals with the resources available to them, or dampen the effects of the strains. Both cases, young men may privately feel shame and failure. Unchallenged, these feelings can manifest as a range of risk taking behaviours (Capraro, 2000) including aggression and violence (Agnew, 1992; Taliep, Lazarus and Naidoo, 2021). In contexts such as Northern Ireland, where violence remain highly common, where urban spaces are peppered with a patchwork of murals that glorify violence (Ashe and Harland, 2014), and where community norms often endorse violence, the net result is elevated incidences. Despite being more vulnerable to community violence and the spectrum of related harms (Lansford et al., 2007; Fowler et al., 2009), many young men do not have safe spaces to reflect on the issues that affect them, or to practice and rehearse non-violent alternatives (Addis and Mahlik, 2003). PREVENTION MODELS FOR YOUNG MEN AND INSIGHTS FROM RESEARCH Traditional masculine norms mean that young men are often predisposed to a limited code of behaviour that endorses violence and neutralises the harms to victims. They are at elevated risk of perpetrating violence against their male and female peers (Hong, 2000). Central to the most effective models is an intentional focus on masculinity in what is broadly defined as gender conscious or ‘gender transformative approaches’. As Dworkin et al (2013) suggest, an important element of gender transformative actions with young men is the intentional focus on unpacking concepts of masculinity, manhood and the impact these oppressive and negative social constructions have on the lives of young men, thus engendering acceptance of power, aggression and violence. Given the centrality of masculinity to violence, prevention approaches that do not evoke young men’s ideas about their own identities and norms will often fail to connect with the codes that inform young men’s everyday lives (Casey et al., 2018). It is these ‘codes’ of behaviour that increase risk of violence under certain conditions, and therefore interventions that challenge these ‘codes’ or norms, could alleviate the strains on young men that contribute towards violence and aggression (West and Zimmerman, 1987; Baugher and Gamararian, 2015). In their meta-analysis of violence prevention models that focus specifically on young men, Taliep, Lazarus and Naidoo (2021) found that few models had been developed in the European context. However, they also found that some approaches have the potential to be applied more widely. These include: investing in positive approaches to engaging young men; clarifying contradictions in young men’s lives and; providing safe space to dispel gender myths. This concept of ‘safe spaces’ and the facilitation of critical reflection, based upon the work of Freire (1970), is almost ubiquitous in the violence prevention literature. The use of participatory approaches is particularly important for young men - something that is consistent with the research evidence from Northern Ireland (see for example, Walsh and Harland, 2019). However, most studies note that interventions rarely extend beyond the facilitation of reflective elements to also include skills development components (Keddie and Bartel, 2021). In general, group work is the most common modality in the facilitation of male youth violence prevention interventions.

However, several studies have demonstrated that one-to-one approaches could be a particularly valuable component, particularly when delivered in a planned and purposeful way, and combined with group work (Ward, 2001; Cissner, 2009). Whilst this combined approach appears to be rare, it seems to offer the most promise (Casey et al., 2016) and could help to consolidate learning that takes place within the context of the group. Based upon the following empirical observations: 1. Adherence to traditional masculinity is associated with higher endorsement of violent attitudes and; 2 Health interventions have been demonstrated to reduce violence (Jewkes et al., 2008), the WHO recommends that gender conscious or transformative approaches are designed and tested in the prevention of youth violence (Brush and Miller, 2019). Gender conscious or transformative models are those interventions that address gender norms such as masculinity and promote gender equity (Gupta, 2000). Despite the theoretical support, and the call from those such as WHO, the majority of these models have tended to be designed as primary or universal interventions, and have had an exclusive focus on gender-based violence and young men’s violence against women, thus avoiding the interconnectedness of violence and largely ignoring young men’s violence against other young men. Further, most prevention models have been tested either in school or clinical settings (Miller et al., 2019). This is an issue. Firstly, school may not be a safe space for young men to meaningfully engage in critical reflection. Secondly, they may not have the positive relationship with teachers that they have with youth workers. Thirdly, school based interventions will be more limited in their provision of mixed modalities (group work and one-to-one support). Fourthly, schools will be more limited in their capacity to extend critical reflection components to skills development and connectivity with the young men’s wider community. Lastly, “while it is important to recognise the role of school for the implementation of these [violence prevention] programmes, it cannot go unnoticed that the most vulnerable group, i.e., young people that are not in school, are not being targeted by these interventions. Also important to acknowledge that the most severe forms of violence rarely occur within schools” (Atienzo, Baxter and Kaltenthaler, 2017:25). In sum, there are significant empirical gaps around community based, youth work led approaches to violence prevention (Matijasko et al., 2012; Brush and Miller, 2019). Northern Ireland has a rich history high-quality youth work. Youth workers routinely have access to young men who are most vulnerable to violence and its harms. THE POLICY CONTEXT FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION Violence prevention work should not happen in a policy vacuum. Indeed, there are several policy frameworks that require pro-active The agenda on Sustainable Development Goals was launched in 2015 to end poverty and set the world on a path to peace. The Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals and includes distinct targets related to violence prevention. These targets are due to be realised by 2030 (Maalla, 2020). SDG 16.1 calls for a reduction in all forms of violence and related deaths SDG 16.2 calls for an elimination of abuse, exploitation and all forms of violence against children The Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC): The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes protections to which children under the age of 18 are entitled. The Convention established state obligations to ensure that all children’s rights are realised. The protection of children and young people from violence is a fundamental right enshrined in the Convention (Cappa and Perowski, 2020). Article 19 calls for young people to be protected from violence and requires government signatories to do all that they can to ensure that young people are protected from all forms of violence Article 36 calls for the prevention of all forms of exploitation and requires governments to protect young people from the various ways in which they can be exploited Article 38 calls for the protection of young people from war and armed conflict. efforts to understand and respond to youth violence. The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs:

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ENGAGED RESEARCH - TARGETED YOUTH SERVICES Since 2019, QUB researchers have been supporting the Education Authority (EANI) to develop, refine and evaluate their targeted youth services. Central to that support were three pillars: 1. Connecting research to practice (evidence embedment) 2. Developing appropriate frameworks to evaluate practice (evidence generation) 3. Share learning and facilitate multiplier effects (learning communities) After more than two-years of evaluating targeted and specialised youth provision and the engagement of more than 500 young people, there was significant evidence that: PART TWO: A BACKGROUND TO THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

THE NI CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S STRATEGY: The Strategy is designed to improve the lives and well-being of children and young people in Northern Ireland. The document sets out the eight key outcomes that as a society we aim to attain. This is the overarching strategy from which flow departmental and agency plans. The strategy has a specific focus on ‘living in safety and stability’ which deals with violence and recovery from its harms. 6.73 “Children in Northern Ireland have the right to live in a peaceful community without fear of attack, violence, intimidation or influence…” 6.82 “an ongoing legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is the presence of paramilitaries in our communities… we will continue to work together to prevent vulnerable young people from being drawn into organised crime and paramilitary activities” A summary of the evidence

Violence is highly prevalent. It is the single most commonly experienced trauma for young people in Northern Ireland, and young men are at elevated risk of victimisation and perpetration. Adherence to traditional and restrictive masculine norms appear to play a distinct role in the endorsement of aggression and violence and elevate the risk of young men engaging in violent behaviour. Gender transformative interventions hold promise for reducing male youth violence Whilst findings are mixed, the most promising results come from interventions that: have a clear theory of change; a coherent core component structure; are delivered in the community; have an intentional focus on masculinity; include both reflective and skills development components and; combine group work with one-to-one support.

• Adversity was highly prevalent across this group • Violent adversity was predictive of a range of outcomes including self-reported intention to engage in physical violence

• Young men appeared to be particularly exposed and affected by violent adversity • Young men were also more likely to report intentions to engage in physical violence

Youth workers are uniquely positioned in the community to create the safe spaces for young men to engage in sensitive issues and themes such as masculinity and violence. Further, youth work approaches can help young men connect to the wider communities to engage in pro-social activities and practice non-violent skills There is a policy context that requires intentional and pro-active approaches to violence prevention with young men. Violence prevention in the community context is under-evaluated and therefore an intentional focus on evaluation could increase the evidence in this area.

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CO-PRODUCING A VIOLENCE PREVENTION FRAMEWORK FOR YOUNG MEN

These evaluation insights confirmed that violent adversity was a particular challenge for young men, who were also more likely to perpetrate violence against others. Leveraging pillar 1 (connecting research to practice), QUB conducted a ‘horizon scan’ of the research evidence around youth violence and identified that despite similar observations internationally, there appeared to be a dearth of empirical evidence accounting for these nuances in the Northern Ireland context. Of the wider evidence available, it appeared probable that several factors could help to account for the observations. Firstly, adherence to traditional masculine norms (emotional restrictiveness, endorsement of aggression and inequity) was associated with elevated risk of aggression and violence. Further, the emerging evidence around psychological stress and trauma appeared to show that whilst young women were more likely to screen for clinically diagnosable disorders (e.g., PTSD), young men were more likely to screen for symptom clusters associated with aggression and violence. Combined, the most reliable evidence suggested that the combined effect of masculinity and trauma at least partially explains young men’s everyday engagement in and exposure to violence. Despite this combined effect, high quality reviews assessing the impact of interventions that address masculine norms, or those that focus on the impact of trauma are very limited. Drawing on systematic reviews around the theme of male youth violence, 977 distinct studies have been published . Of these, only six were related to the criminogenic effects of trauma on youth violence, and none of the studies focussed on the role of masculine norms (see table 1). Table 1: Overview of relevant research studies

Building upon the existing evidence base, QUB partnered with EANI in 2021 to co-produce an evidence informed framework for the prevention of male youth violence. The strategic aim of the project was to increase the capacity of EANI youth services to embed research into service design by combining cutting-edge empirical and theoretical evidence alongside practical approaches. The specific aim of the project was for QUB academics and EANI youth workers to coproduce an evidence informed, manualised intervention for engaging young men in the prevention of interpersonal, community based violence. The objectives of the project were: • To facilitate knowledge exchange processes between QUB and EANI • To embed cutting edge research into the development of a specific targeted youth intervention for young men around the theme of violence prevention

Focus on young men

Violence (Victim)

Violence (Perpetrator)

• To develop a theory of change for the violence prevention framework • To enhance practitioners capacity to engage with research evidence • To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the framework

Study

Studies

Masculinity Trauma

Wilson & Rosenhal, 2003 Joliffe & Farrington, 2003

37 35 31

No No No No

Yes

No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes Yes

Egan, 2008

Yes Yes

Partially

Fowler et al., 2009

114

Yes

No

Johnson, 2009 Derzon, 2010

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Partially

No

No No No No

Yes

199

No

Yes Yes

No

Baxendale et al., 2012 Jennings & Reingle, 2012 Jennings et al., 2012 Tfofi et al., 2012 Gerard et al., 2014 Malvaso et al., 2016 Shackleton et al., 2016 Farrington et al., 2017

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Partially

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

105

No No No No No No No No No No

No

37 42 16 62 11 42 55 18

Yes Yes

Yes

No

No No No

Partially

Yes

No No No

Yes

No

Jolliffe et al., 2017

No

Yes Yes

Fitton, Yu, Fazel, 2018

Yes Yes

Yes Yes

Yule, Houston and Grych 2019

118 977

No

Total 12 Combined, this evidence indicated that there was a need to design, test and evaluate a model of intervention specifically for young men with the aim of understanding the root causes of violence and reducing incidences of violence. 0 10 0 6

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PART THREE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK

By creating safe spaces for young men to critically reflect on the gender and behavioural norms that influence their social lives, they can understand their complex relationship with violence as well as their responses to violence, and test feasible, non-violent alternatives.

Aim of the Y-Box framework: The aim of this evidence informed and co-produced intervention protocol is to provide a framework for youth workers to engage with young men around the theme of masculinity and violence. Objectives of the Y-Box framework: The objectives of the intervention protocol are to provide preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention on transforming male gender norms and violence related outcomes TARGET GROUP AND INCLUSIONARY CRITERIA:

• Young men aged 12-21 • Voluntary engagement • Community based

• At risk of violence as a victim and/or as a perpetrator LEVEL OF INTERVENTION: • Primary (Universal)- This can be delivered with all young men • Secondary (targeted) – This can be delivered with targeted groups of young men

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THEORY OF CHANGE: During the design process, a theory of change was formulated. This theory of change summarises in a few words how we believe the framework can meaningfully contribute towards violence reduction among young men. The statement on the previous page (pg13) reflects this theory of change and figure 1 illustrates this.

DEVELOPMENT OF FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVES

SAFE SPACES

RELATIONSHIP WITH AND RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE

REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE

CRTICIAL REFLECTION AND GENDER TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRAMEWORK: Multi-component. The intervention targets different levels of the ecology (individual, peer, community) Approach. The intervention applies a cognitive behavioural approach, challenging unhealthy cognitive norms, and embedding non-violent social skills training Multi-modal. The intervention engages young men in critical group work discussion, individual self-reflection, skills development, observation and feedback, storytelling, social scripts, sequencing, mindfulness-based relaxation, immersive technology and behaviour experiments.

Figure 1: Theory of Change

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PART FOUR: IMPLEMENTING THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

APPROX. DURATION 6 weeks

APPROACHES Gender transformative critical reflection and psycho-education

THE KEY Y-BOX COMPONENTS It is recommended that before delivering the framework, youth workers:

THEMES 1 Social and

GENDER CONSCIOUS ENGAGEMENT AND REFLECTION

6 Patterns of behaviour and sequencing

1. Complete the training programme 2. Consult with the resource 3. Agree a suitable evaluation framework

masculine norms and their impact

When ready to deliver, the intervention includes three core delivery components, and three facilitator components. The delivery components include a process of (1) gender conscious engagement and reflection (Fig. 2); (2) skills development, practice and rehearsal and (Fig. 3); (3) opportunities for young men to engage as leaders in their own communities. (Fig. 4)

5 Trauma, Psychoeducation and Coping Strategies

2 Attitudes towards and exposure to violence

4 Community supports and community narratives

3 Power and control

Fig. 2

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APPROACHES Goal setting Action planning Participation

APPROX. DURATION 4 weeks (then ongoing)

APPROACHES Social and life skills training

APPROX. DURATION 4 weeks

THEMES 1 Threat detection, social cues and critical appraisal (Immersive technology option )

THEMES 1 Peer education

LEADERSHIP AND OPPORTUNITIES

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND REHEARSAL

5 Mindfulness based relaxation techniques

5 Volunteering

4 Intergenerational story telling initiatives

4 Bystander approaches

2 Non-violent problem solving (Immersive technology option)

2 Peer research

3 Community justice projects

3 Peer refusal

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

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The three facilitator components run in parallel with the programme and are aimed at enhancing the understanding of young men’s lives and the iterative design of the programme. 1. Principles: The programme should be designed and delivered with reference to the principles for engaging young men. 2. Iteration: The programme should be iterative. That is, although the facilitator should progress through the three delivery components, the sessions should be based on the learning that emerges during each interaction 3. Reflection and evaluation: The facilitator should engage in a process of critical reflection following each session (refer to pg 68). An appropriate evaluation methodology such as pre/post-test design should be implemented to gauge the ‘distance travelled’. This should be agreed in partnership with your trainer? THE STRUCTURE AND MODE OF DELIVERY: • Group sessions are facilitated at least once per week • When being delivered to a targeted group of young men, group work sessions should be complemented with a 30-60 minute one-to-one session with each young man at least fortnightly. • The focus of the individual sessions should be on goal setting, goal review and reflecting on the learning from the group work sessions. • The project should last no less than 14 sessions and no more than 20 sessions (with delivery CC 3 sometimes ongoing) • Youth workers should have progressed onto delivery core component 3 by around session 10 and no later than session 14 . • Each group session should last between 1.5 and 2 hours • The intervention should be implemented by community based, professionally qualified youth workers with experience of engaging and supporting vulnerable young men at risk of engaging in violence, and/or criminal exploitation • The core components are only intended to provide a framework for delivery. Youth workers will be expected to draw on their own expertise to design the specific sessions. • Practioner should design their sessions in a planned and purposeful way, be creative with that design and ensure that all sessions connect to the realities of young men’s lives.

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EVIDENCE INFORMED CONSIDERATIONS FOR ENGAGING YOUNG MEN IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK Relational considerations for working with young men: The importance of relationships is central to engaging young men. The practitioner is committed to building critical, meaningful relationships with boys and young men, and is aware of the qualities that young men look for in a youth worker. The practitioner sees young men as an asset. The practitioner’s focus is on developing boys and young men by helping them acquire new skills and confidence through promoting their voice and extracting knowledge and meaning from their experiences and ideas. The nature of the relationship enables the practitioner to challenge stereotypes and behaviour that is discriminatory, offensive, sexist, or potentially harmful towards others. Contextual considerations for working with boys and young men The local and global social contexts of young men’s lives has a strong bearing upon their thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour, yet this is rarely addressed within many educational settings. The practitioner will be aware that the factors that impact upon boys and young men’s lives must be considered within a wider context of socio-economic issues such as poverty, class, race, ethnicity, social disadvantage and the decline in traditional industries. The practitioner will encourage boys and young men to explore ways in which masculinities are constructed and how this can influence male behaviour. The practitioner can also explore why certain types of masculinities are dominant, while other masculinities may be perceived as subordinate. This focus can support the practitioner to explore sensitive and contentious themes (such as violence) and how this is experienced by boys and young men, both as perpetrators and victims. By addressing issues that boys and young men do not typically discuss, for example within formal education, will encourage discussion and dialogue that is driven by the voices of young men and therefore issues that are important to them. This approach requires active listening on behalf of the educator and facilitation skills that enables boys to talk. Young men have plenty to say when a supportive environment is created. Practitioners do not see their work in isolation but understand that work with young men often necessitates a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency approach involving schools, teachers, parents, youth services, youth justice, social and health services, police, community safety initiatives and local community groups. The role of the practitioner is to support boys and young men to reflect on how communities and societies work; it encourages and promotes their ideas and solutions to the issues facing them, their community or wider society. This focus will help boys to feel better connected to other aspects of community life and increase their understanding of how their own education and learning is connected to the wider community. In our Framework for example, the practitioner, as a non-formal educator, could be the bridge between school and the local community thus providing a connection between the formal and non-formal and informal. Situational considerations for working with boys and young men The practitioner supports young men to evaluate and reflect upon the contexts and circumstances of their everyday life and to find creative ways to address the specific issues which affect them. This involves the exploration of young men’s sense of alienation within their communities and their absence from decision making processes. The practitioner will be aware that the environment, rather than young men, may be an issue driving and sustaining violent behaviour and exposure to violence more generally. This will involve exploring how geographical areas can be made safer for boys and young men, and others, and examining why older adults may be suspicious and distrusting towards certain young men. The practitioner will support young men to develop critiques of economic, political and cultural structures to help better match their expectations with reality. They will also explore why certain young men may not seek emotional support. By encouraging young men to talk about themselves and their lives, and by linking this to emotional intelligence, this will increase boys` self-awareness of their internal world of feelings and emotions and how these can impact positively upon their behaviour and wellbeing. This complex area of appreciating male experiences is integral to working effectively with young men, particularly when addressing for example, their

experiences of violence (or the threat of violence) or exploring alternative ways to respond to potential incidents of conflict. Evidence suggests that activities such as role play can be an effective method of skills development, combining movement and creativity that can enable young men to see and experience tangible and realistic alternatives to everyday challenges that they face. Role play can provide an opportunity to explore feasible alternatives to existing problematic situations and enable exploration of appropriate social responses. In the `Taking Boys Seriously` longitudinal study (Harland and McCready, 2012), role play in schools was very effective in engaging boys in their learning and encouraging them to talk about real life situations. Using other creative and participatory methods such as `story telling approaches` enable potentially contentious and controversial issues (e.g. violence against the person, alcohol and drug misuse) to be engaged safely. Sessions should always connect to the lived experiences and social realities of boys and young men’s lives. Each session, whether in a group or one-to-one setting should be planned and purposeful but have sufficient flexibility to adapt to young men’s agile needs. Evidence suggests that young men appreciate being asked about what they were thinking and responded to being encouraged to share their experiences and feelings. They report feeling positive about being listened to and experiencing that their opinions were being valued and in a recent study of child criminal exploitation, Walsh (2023) found that young people reported a lack of safe spaces to engage in these conversations. A key element of this framework is about encouraging boys and young men to examine hegemonic beliefs that emphasize men’s use of ‘power’ and ‘control’ over others-including other men. This is the foundation for addressing other challenging work around boys and young men’s attitudes and behaviour. Pedagogical considerations for working with boys and young men Pedagogy is central to improving educational outcomes. This includes the need to facilitate a broadening of boys and young men’s narrow constructions of gender and male identity through non formal education. But this needs to be informed by understandings of masculinities. This has important training implications for a range of professions that work with young men as it suggests that working with boys should be underpinned by knowledge and understanding of the complexities and contradictions in the construction of masculinity and what young men tell us about transitioning from a boy to a man. The approach acknowledges the value of non-formal and informal education in supporting and complementing a boy’s formal education and learning. It is concerned with a young man’s personal and social development through an empowering practice approach, emphasising their participation. It aims to bring about agreed and desired changes in individuals, communities and society. The approach supports boys and young men to identify and accept their responsibilities as individuals and as citizens. It respects and values young men as a resource/ asset for society. It is founded upon, and wedded to, establishing critical meaningful relationships with young men based upon the value set of respect, openness, trust and choice. It aims to provide a safe space for young men to explore issues, fears, behaviours and aspirations through a combination of reflective and participatory activity. Creating effective learning environments are necessary to fully engage boys and young men. This is not to suggest that one learning style fits all boys. Educators in formal and non-formal education have many opportunities to connect learning and curriculum to the reality of young men’s lives outside of school. Learning methods should aim to engage, motivate, stimulate and excite boys and young men. The use of movement, energy and creating a sense of adventure significantly reduces boredom and enhances learning with young men. This framework does not necessarily require additional resources. Rather the focus is on finding more creative ways of engaging and responding to the needs and issues that are important to young men in environments where they feel safe and are conducive to learning. It requires more collaboration amongst professions in order to provide added value and support that can complement formal education.

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PART FIVE: EVALUATING THE FRAMEWORK

PRINCIPLES FOR ENGAGING YOUNG MEN IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION:

A range of underpinning principles developed by Walsh and Harland (2016) for engaging young men are listed below. These guiding principles recognise the strengths of young men and the opportunities that exist for young men to contribute to change in communities. These principles, however, also recognise that the contexts in which young men live are often characterised as harmful as well as harm inducing. From numerous studies in Northern Ireland (see for example, Walsh, 2023; Walsh and Cunningham 2023), we know that young men require safe spaces and trusting relationships to engage in critical conversations to examine their attitudes and beliefs.

Strengths based

young men are assets whose skills are under-used and whose potential is underdeveloped

living in safety from violence is a right, as is protection from the harms of violence

Rights based

Evaluation is an important, and indeed central element of the framework. A robust evaluation design should be considered prior to delivering the framework. Although one design is outlined in this protocol, other designs may be equally useful. The design should be agreed with the support of your trainer/supporting colleague prior to delivery, and be reviewed during your facilitator led, reflective sessions. The purpose of the evaluation is to: 1. Understand the needs of young men in your local area at baseline 2. Capture the ‘distance travelled’ 3. Help you refine the specific approach to your local context and adapt the framework to the specific needs of young men in your community ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: Despite some flexibility in the type of activities being delivered, the core components allow us to make assumptions about the outcomes that we might expect from any implementation site. A series of primary and secondary outcomes are envisaged. Well defined and specific outcomes are important to capture baseline needs and to measure distance travelled. Well-defined outcomes also allow you to ensure that the measures that are embedded reliably capture the areas that you want to develop. For example, if the outcome is a reduction in violent behaviour, then a measure of self-esteem will not be appropriate. Conversely, a validated measure of violence reduction will be more appropriate. Further, you will want to consider other factors that play a part in helping you to understand need at baseline, or that can influence an outcome. These are called ‘covariates’ and could include things like age, educational status, difficult life experiences and social supports. Your trainer and coach will be able to help you identify the most appropriate measures. However, a number of measures are recommended here for the primary and secondary outcomes: PRIMARY OUTCOME: • Increase in gender equitable attitudes (GEA) (Conformity to masculine norms inventory) (see Appendix 1)

the impact of violence is violence inducing. Trauma can create new pathways for violence, particularly for young men. It is likely that many young men being engaged will have experienced violence

Trauma informed

empirical evidence provides clues for us to leverage. In deciding appropriate practices and/or responses, it is useful to consult with the evidence and examine the strength of the evidence.

Evidence informed

Appreciation of masculinity

young men’s decisions are often taken through the lens of masculinity. This lens will differ depending on context.

young men require safe spaces to critically reflect on their attitudes, beliefs and experiences. This is a pre-requisite for behavioural change. whilst the safety of a group is important, it is not sufficient. Young men must make the connections between what is being learned in group settings to their real lives.

Safe spaces

Connecting to the real world

young men often learn by doing. Incorporating activities that are engaging and facilitate movement are more likely to actively engage young men

Movement and fun

young men must learn to take responsibility and this can be modelled during the facilitation of the Y-Box model. Facilitators should hold young men accountable for agreements broken and poor behaviour should be challenged in constructive ways that maintain the relationship

Responsibility

Generalisability

skills should be generalisable to the real world

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THE EVIDENCE BASE SO FAR

SECONDARY OUTCOME: • Reduction in incidences of exposure to violence (EXP) (Exposure to Violence Scale and Likelihood of violence and delinquency scale) (see Appendix 1) KNOWLEDGE: 1. Increased understanding of general, specific and personal male gender and behavioural norms 2. Increased understanding of the impact of harmful gender and social norms on mental health and wellbeing 3. Increased understanding of the impact of exposure to violence on mental health and wellbeing VALUES: 1. Reduced adherence to traditional masculine norms 2. Reduced acceptance of the values that endorse violence and aggression 3. Increased endorsement of pro-social values BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS: 1. Increased capacity to critically reflect thoughts/feeling and behaviours 2. Reduction in exposure to violence 3. Reduction in risk taking and potentially criminal behaviours RECOMMENDED EVALUATION DESIGN Whilst a range of designs are available, and indeed several may be appropriate, it is recommended that a pre-test/post-test design is implemented. This means that the evaluation instrument is completed by participants at baseline (time 1) and then again at end-point (time 2). The purpose of this design is to capture baseline needs, but also to compare any changes that occur in regard to attitudes, beliefs and/or behaviours between the two points. Given that one of the reasons to use this design is to assess ‘distance travelled’, it is important that baseline data is collected as early as possible. For example, if the baseline is completed after several sessions of the intervention, then this may obscure any changes between T1 and T2. It is recommended then that T1 is defined as within the first two sessions. Likewise, T2 (end-point) should come as close to the actual end of the project as possible. Therefore, it is recommended that T2 should be within the final 2 sessions of the intervention. Both baseline and endpoint evaluations should be completed by self-report and it is recommended that participants use an on-line and anonymous platform. For example, platforms such as ‘Jotform’ allow facilitators to design their own survey, provide a link to participants, participants to complete the survey using that link, and the facilitators/evaluators to analyse anonymous data. (Scan QR code at the back for more info)

During the development of this framework, we evaluated it at two levels. At one level, we wanted to understand if practitioners valued the structure that the framework provided. To understand this, we asked those who engaged in the training, a number of process related questions. Across more than 40 youth workers trained, who each had an average of 10 years experience in youth work practice, 97.8% reported satisfaction with the framework. All 45 also reported plans to use the approach in their practice. We also observed statistically significant changes in confidence among this group, with the average score moving from 6.1 to 8.1 on a scale that stretched from 0-10. Qualitative feedback reinforced these data. As one youth worker indicated:

I had a group of young men. This has given me exactly what I needed to reduce their risk

Another commented on the benefit being on the structure that it provided within which to bring their own creatively and tools to organise a response.

We have the tools but this provides structure to work with fellas around violence and being a man

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At another level, we wanted to understand whether boys and young men actually benefitted from this work. Taking date from 56 participants, with an average age of 14, we explored two key outcomes: 1. Reduction in exposure to violence 2. Reduction in adherence to traditional masculine norms In relation to the first, we found statistically significant reductions in direct involvement in violence, as well as reductions in victimisation. This is important given that 87.5% of participants indicated that violence was a part of their everyday lives. This is illustrated further in qualitative reductions in how likely the participants perceived the likelihood of violence occurring in the next four weeks:

This is important because the characteristics of this sample illustrates that they are likely to be at elevated risk of violence and victimisation: The impact extended, however, beyond these objective effects. Young men indicated that the very process of taking part in Y-Box offered them opportunities to talk about issues that affect them in everyday life, in ways that they don’t always have the space to do. This safe space to critically reflect on their lives, what it means to be male, and whether the expectations on them are helpful or harmful, all contribute towards a healthier way of understanding and responding to daily stressors.

I don’t usually get an opportunity to talk about being a young male

87.5%

It is useful to talk about being a young man

75%

It was useful to involve friends in those conversations The youth worker was an important element of the process Had been beaten up, mugged or seriously threatened

100% 100%

43%

Pre Post

58.5

53

42.9

42.6

15.3

12.5

4.4

Been beaten up (last four weeks)

Get into a fight (next four weeks)

Use weapon (next four weeks)

Hurt someone (next four weeks)

In relation to the second, we observed statistically significant improvements in gender equitable norms and reductions in potentially harmful masculine attitudes and beliefs.

Not in education, training or employment

10% 26% 88% 43% 43%

Previous contact with police Live in paramilitary active area

Paramilitary threat

Had been beaten up, mugged or seriously threatened

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INTRODUCTION Northern Ireland has a rich tradition of positively working with boys and young men. Those such as Dr Ken Harland have been instrumental in driving research informed practice. Alongside, Professor Sam McCready, they established the seminal Centre for Young Men’s Studies in the early noughties. An important contribution was their landmark five-year longitudinal study ‘Taking Boys Seriously’ (2012) that tracked a cohort of 378 young men in schools across Northern Ireland. This study generated a wealth of evidence around the lives and experiences of young males transitioning from childhood into adolescence in the context of NI. The study was initiated in response to concerns about boys’ educational underachievement and wider concerns about their health and well-being. The publication ‘Boys, young men and violence: masculinity, education and practice’ (Harland and McCready, 2015) is a further example of how the voices of boys and young men influenced research and practice development. Subsequent studies have engaged with boys and young men using a variety of research designs to unpack the complexities associated with male violence. Several are of note. In 2020, Dr’s Colm Walsh and Dirk Schubotz from Queens University Belfast interviewed young men from rural and urban communities and found that although violence was experienced in different ways, it remained part of everyday life. This is important because we know that sustained exposure to violence is predictive of a range of negative outcomes, including more violence (Fowler et al., 2009). This prevalence was confirmed in 2020 when Professor Lisa Bunting with colleagues from QUB and Ulster University found that violence was the single most commonly experienced adversity among young people in Northern Ireland. In 2021, Dr Colm Walsh, Kelvin Doherty and Dr Paul Best took this evidence a step further and examined the case files of more than 150 young people who had spent time in custody in Northern Ireland. They found that violent victimisation was strongly associated with violent offences. In fact, victims of violence were more than nine-times more likely to be convicted of a violent offence. Several other studies have examined exposure perpetration link and found that factors such as endorsement of traditional masculine norms (Walsh, 2022) and a lack of social supports (Walsh, 2023) contribute towards elevated rates of violence. In sum, a number of observations have emerged. Firstly, youth violence is a priority in many communities in Northern Ireland. Secondly, it is often young men implicated in violence related incidences. Thirdly, the evidence points towards ‘what works’ to engage young men, reduce violence and facilitate safer communities. OVERALL AIM: To increase the capacity of practitioners to positively and constructively engage boys and young men around the issues masculinity and violence. This resource can be used as part of a stand-alone suite of activities for engaging boys and young men around the themes of violence and masculinity but are likely to have most impact when implemented as part of the more comprehensive Y-Box Framework. Practitioner observations and the voices of the young men during core component 1 should be leveraged to inform the design of score component 2. For that reason, we can only point in the direction of the skills that could be useful to facilitate. This is covered during the training events. It is for skilled and experienced youth workers to determine and design the skill-based techniques. However, examples are provided in this resource section This resource section is primarily intended to support the delivery of the multi-component Y-Box Framework. The framework, whilst providing evidence informed, methodical process to work through, it also requires the skills and experiences of the Youth Workers. They know the issues that most affect the young men that they support. They also know the methods that contribute best to the process of engagement. It intended to enhance the confidence and capacity of practitioners to engage young men in sensitive and controversial issues such as violence. It provides practical suggestions for Youth Workers to support boys and young men to move beyond their masculine masks and help unlock the assets their assets that they can use on their communities.

SECTION 2: A Y-BOX RESOURCE

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