Ideas about masculinity shape how people understand relationships, power, and violence. Addressing gender norms can help prevent violence and support healthier communities. One Shared Safety project hosted a summit to facilitate these conversations.
The Men, Masculinity, & Violence Prevention Virtual Summit was a two-day online event. Community groups, victim service programs, city agencies, and other partners attended. Participants shared ideas and learned from one another. They discussed the role of gender in violence prevention and ways to engage men and masculine-identified people in this work. Masculine-identified means anyone who connects with traits often linked to masculinity.
The summit opened with a panel with advocates from Lutheran Settlement House, WOAR Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence, and Courdea. The summit included workshops, panels, and discussions on topics such as:
- Healthy masculinity
- Queer experiences of masculinity
- Faith-based approaches to supporting families
- Restorative justice approaches to accountability
Presenters from WOAR, Peaceful Families Project, and Restorative Justice at Penn led these sessions. Participants talked about gender and safety. They also discussed how changing harmful ideas about gender and gender roles can support communities.
Over two days, 242 people attended. The event focused on preventing violence and ways participants can get involved. Clearly, there is interest in this work!
Participants shared reflections, including:
- “Especially as someone who wants to work with survivors of domestic violence in the LGBTQ+ community, this was very insightful”
- “Grateful to the expertise of the presenters and the critical work in addressing violence with cultural specificity”
- “I will definitely be continuing to think about the information they provided and how that applies to my life and my work.”
- “I hope to carry some of what we learned here today into my interactions with Muslim survivors and other survivors who have strong faiths.”
Overall, the summit helped participants learn from one another. It also supported ongoing work to address violence by rethinking masculinity.
Recommended resources from the sessions include:
- Masculinity Action Project’s (MAP) Guide to Talking to Men About Masculinity
- Resources from Peaceful Families Project, which works with Muslim communities to end domestic violence:
- Peaceful Parenting Training of Trainers (TOT): Register for a TOT to learn how to facilitate a 12-session program designed for Muslim parents. The TOT runs from August 13 to September 10, 2026.
- Sign the Peaceful Partners Pledge, committing to eliminating violence.
- Futures Without Violence’s Coaching Boys into Men Program has tools for coaches to teach young athletes about respect and healthy relationships.
