This report brings together insights from both Pacific and global efforts to engage with men. It was developed with a view to informing how the Australia Awards Women Leading and Influencing (WLI) program (wliprogram.org) engages men in its program activities.
WLI is an on-Award (in Australia) and reintegration (in Pacific) enrichment program supporting women to lead and influence change that promotes positive development outcomes in their home countries. WLI’s core offering is the Women’s Developmental Leadership Program (WDLP), an 18-month leadership development program for 30 women Australia Awards scholars from across the Pacific each year. Engagement with men to increase their support for women’s leadership is a new focus for WLI. Although WLI maintains a primary focus on women, experience from the first four years of the program indicated that women participants were interested in developing their skills in communicating with men and sharing their experiences of leadership with men. WLI participants and program staff also recognised that men’s support was fundamental to help shift gender norms and promote wider community acceptance and support for women’s leadership in the Pacific. In response, the
program began opening activities to selected men.
In addition to learning and networking events, this included LeadershipConnect, a 6-month online leadership course open to all Australia Awards scholars in the Pacific as well as WDLP participants, and Leadership Lab, a 4-month course which supports participants to work through a practical leadership issue. Men can also access an online networking platform for all WLI participants and alumni, as well as coaching and other support. They may also be included in projects funded under WLI’s Leadership Fund small grants scheme by invitation of women leading these projects.
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