Teachers are struggling with issues and conversations around masculinities in schools. How do we discuss problem areas associated with masculinities, without demonising the young men we are engaging with? How do we create safe spaces for young people to discuss and challenge their masculinities together? It has never been harder to engage young men in conversations about masculinity, and it has never been more confusing to know where to start. Educator and social scientist Lewis Wedlock enables schools and teachers to grow their confidence in exploring masculinities with young people. He challenges limiting ideas of masculinity and takes a compassionate, restorative approach. Through this book, Lewis supports teachers to deepen their understanding of how masculinities are shaped, to explore the many complexities and to get comfortable with the uncertainties. He offers practical guidance for the classroom and for transformative, community centred interventions. He empowers teachers to feel confident in implementing sustainable, flexible, and constantly mendable models of masculinity. The subject of masculinities is often approached through a lens of 'toxicity', prompting disengagement and disconnection. This book takes a different approach. It is not about polarizing, demonizing, or standardizing masculinities. It supports and advocates for schools to be open to the wide diversity of masculinities and to develop cultures of accountability, integrity, authenticity, and pride.
Lewis Wedlock is an educator, social psychologist and mental health professional from Bristol, UK. With an expertise in masculinities and young people centred mental health interventions, Lewis has works with secondary schools across the UK to help young men explore their ideas of masculinity. His TEDx talk, "The Crisis of Masculinity" propelled Lewis's, compassion rich, restorative work with young men to an international audience. He advises local and national governments on engaging with masculinities around areas such as misogyny, mental health and embodied allyship.
Introduction Part 1 - Contextualising masculinity 1. Beginning The Ascent: Establishing key terms and concepts for the journey ahead 2. Where we are now 3. Exploring the complexities of masculinities 4. What is going on for young men at the moment? 5. Embracing messiness Part 2 - The process of working with masculinities 6. Unpacking 'methodologies' 7. Current Interventions: Why the work isn't working as well as it could 8. Why punitive pathways don't work 9. Punitive to restorative: Reflective work in sanctioned spaces 10. Why anger management work doesn't always work 11. Structured physical outlets with structured, structural examination 12. Why one-off guest speakers are not enough 13. Demographic Bias: Moving away from blanketised assumptions 14. What are psychographics? 15. Psychographics and contextual semantics Part 3 - "Newniversal" Masculinity Work 16. Planetary exploration 17. The foundations of the process 18. Observe the cosmos 19. Embrace an awareness of your own understanding and biases 20. Acknowledging and exploring positionality 21. Visiting other worlds 22. The route ahead - what comes next?
