Driving Gender & Racial Equity with Men and Boys

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota invites men to join us as partners and activators on the Road to Transformation through a series of events designed specifically to engage men and boys as leaders in building healthy communities where all people can thrive. In this series of conversations, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota joins with A Call to Men, an internationally recognized leader in training men and boys to listen, learn, and act to end gender-based violence and discrimination. The host committee for this series includes: Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, Lucas Erickson, Geore D. Martin, Drake Powe, Dr. Michael Resnick, Bill Sands, Roderic Southall, Pheng Thao, Craig Warren, and Jeremy Wells.

The series of critical conversations for, by, and with men invites men and boys as critical leaders and our partners to transform our culture and create a safe and healthy Minnesota for all.

A Call to Men educates men and boys all over the world on healthy, respectful manhood, and has provided healthy manhood and violence prevention education and training to universities, athletic programs, professional sports leagues including the National Football League, military, corporations, and grassroots organizations, and to middle and high schools through its LIVERESPECT curriculum.

WFMN’s Road to Transformation was launched to listen, amplify, and invest in the voices and experiences of communities across our state. In this series, we’ll focus on the important role that men play in creating healthy communities and ending gender-based violence and discrimination so all women and girls can thrive. We’ll continue the conversation we began with A Call to Men as our partner in 2018 and deepen our journey to cultivate the conditions for gender and racial equity, justice, and healing for all Minnesota communities. We all have work to do, and this moment calls on us to do it together.

WFMN’s convenings for men create a safe place for honest conversations about the identities men hold and invite them to be part of the solution in ending gender-based violence. The series provides men of influence in the workplace, community, and family life the tools to transform as individuals, leaders in institutions, and investors in changing systems to create a better future for all. The series will inspire men to:

• Lead. Leverage influence to promote healthy modeling and messaging of male behavior to prevent harassment and violence.
• Value. Listen to women and validate their experiences. Study, commit, and practice using language that values and does not denigrate women and girls.
• Speak Up. Speak up when you see harassment, disrespect, and violence. Demand accountability, support survivors, and change culture.
• Invest. Investing in women and girls to ensure safety, opportunity, and leadership for all women and girls is an investment in whole community well-being.

About the series: Driving Gender & Racial Equity with Men & Boys

Each 90-minute training is interactive, engaging, powerful, and transformative. Register for individual events or plan to join the series!

Session 1: 5 Essential Habits to Create Equity & Respect at Work with Ted Bunch
Tuesday, October 13 | 10-11:30 a.m.
Hosted by Ted Bunch, Chief Development Officer of A Call to Men, this Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training outlines five essential habits for the pursuit of equity and respect at work. The training radically challenges the collective socialization of men by examining the social norms, culture, and traditional images of manhood that have created an environment that supports, tolerates and often encourages men’s discrimination against women. It will provide insight into the construct of sexism and challenges the privileges and entitlements given to men by men. It unveils ways that workplaces may be unintentionally reinforcing sexism and racism and presents this moment as a tremendous opportunity to create a world – and a workplace – that can better serve everyone.

Session 2: Power & Equity Training with Tony Porter
Tuesday, October 27 | 10-11:30 a.m.
#MeToo, the global pandemic, and ongoing racial unrest have shined a blinding light on the systemic inequities that prevent our communities from thriving. In such painful and complicated times, leaders are searching for ways to strengthen organizations and create healthy, inclusive, and safe communities. A Call to Men’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Porter will guide participants through a transformative training that deconstructs how we’ve been taught to view gender and race and positions participants to understand and re-evaluate power structures, develop their skills as courageous leaders, and rise toward real equity and safety for all women and girls.

Session 3: How to Promote Healthy Manhood with Josué Argüelles
Tuesday, November 17 | 10-11:30 a.m.
Josue Arguelles, Director of Youth Initiatives at A Call to Men will engage fathers, father figures, mentors, coaches, and community leaders on how to promote a healthy manhood as a way to advance gender equity and encourage male authenticity. It provides tools and strategies that decrease dating violence, sexual assault, male suicide, and gun violence. It outlines the importance of centering the voices and experiences of youth leaders.

Registration for the Series is now closed.
Come with questions! Each session will hold time for discussion with attendees.