Beyond male role models

“Beyond male role models: gender identities and work with young men” was an Open University (UK) research project, working with NGO, Action for Children, supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council. The study explored the role of gender in relationships between young men using support services and the adults working with them. Fifty young men, 14 young women, 12 male staff and 17 female staff were interviewed at Action for Children and other services across the United Kingdom. The research found that vulnerable young men value the personal qualities of staff – respect, trust, consistency, care, and commitment – above their gender or other social identities, and that these qualities are key to developing effective helping relationships. A sense of shared experience between young men and staff can, however, be valuable in developing effective relationships, and in ‘modelling’ transitions to a more positive masculine identity. Workers in support services act less as role models, and more as mentors or guides with whom young men are able to negotiate and co-construct new identities and futures.