Men in the Movement is an intervention that trained two male youth education interns to facilitate discussions with about 100 young men of color in Louisiana about sexual health, healthy relationships, social justice, advocacy, and leadership to promote gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors.
Key Findings
Methods
Men in the Movement was developed and implemented as an intervention providing a safe space for young men of color in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana to consider gender-equitable manhood.
The program was implemented in two Louisiana cities: Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The target population was young men of color.
The program addressed sexual health, healthy relationships, social justice, advocacy, and leadership.
The intervention aimed to empower participants to become advocates and leaders in their communities.
Methods
The program trained two male youth education interns to serve as facilitators of group discussions.
Two male youth education interns were specifically trained to facilitate the discussions.
The use of male facilitators was a deliberate program design choice.
Facilitators led discussions on topics including sexual health, healthy relationships, social justice, advocacy, and leadership.
Results
The intervention reached approximately 100 young men of color through facilitated discussions.
Approximately 100 young men of color participated in the program.
Participants were drawn from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The paper describes this as a program development and implementation study.
Background
Engaging men as advocates and change agents is described as a critical mechanism to challenge social and political factors impacting women's sexual and reproductive health.
The authors note a growing body of evidence that well-designed interventions can increase males' gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors regarding sexual and reproductive health.
The authors note that most existing studies focus on men as partners rather than as advocates or change agents.
Men in the Movement was specifically designed to position young men as advocates and leaders rather than only as partners.
What This Means
This research describes the development and implementation of a program called 'Men in the Movement,' which was designed to engage young men of color in Louisiana in conversations about gender equality, sexual health, healthy relationships, and community advocacy. The program trained two male youth education interns to lead discussions with approximately 100 young men in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, creating a space where participants could explore what equitable manhood looks like and how they could become leaders and advocates in their communities.
The program fills a gap in existing research, which has largely focused on engaging men as partners in sexual and reproductive health rather than as active advocates for change. By centering young men of color as potential change agents, Men in the Movement takes a different approach — one that aims to build leadership skills alongside gender-equitable attitudes.
This research suggests that community-based programs can be designed to engage young men of color on sensitive topics like sexual health and gender equality in a supportive setting. The use of trained male peer facilitators from similar backgrounds may help create the trust needed for these conversations to take place. The paper primarily documents the program's development and delivery, providing a model that other communities might adapt to engage young men in gender equity work.
Rollins L, Sams-Abiodun P. (2025). Men in the Movement: A Gender Equality Intervention for Young Men of Color in Louisiana.. Social work in public health. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2025.2557353