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Boys, Belonging & the Manosphere: Understanding Online Influences

Presenters: Education Sub-Committee (Derible, Miller, Smith)

##:45 p.m. - ##:45 p.m. - #####

Young people are navigating online spaces filled with messages about gender, masculinity, relationships, power and belonging. Some of these messages can reinforce ideas rooted in misogyny, rigid gender expectations and harmful ideas about relationships, genders, and their own self-concept and worth. The manosphere intentionally creates online spaces and a sense of “community” that are packaged as care, belonging, and support for vulnerable boys and young men, while often grooming them into harmful beliefs and behaviours, including misogyny, harassment, and the normalization of violence.

This interactive session will introduce administrators to the manosphere and other online influences affecting young people. Together we will look beyond terminology and begin to unpack why these messages are resonating. Additionally, participants will explore connections between online culture, gender-based violence and cyberviolence, and consider how schools can respond without shame, panic or pushing young people further away. The session will focus on practical ways administrators can support staff, discuss community resources available, and identify opportunities to create inclusive school environments for all students and staff

Education Sub-Committee:

Richard Derible

Richard is the Director and Lead Facilitator of CIRCLES-NS, a project of the of Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab at Dalhousie University.

Previously, Richard was the Executive Director of the Office of Citizen Centred Approaches with the Province of the Nova Scotia and worked with the Halifax Regional Centre of Education for 25 years, as a classroom teacher, vice principal, principal, safe schools consultant, and school administration supervisor. Prior to his work in the school system, Richard worked for the Special Projects Division of the Department of Community Services where he developed inclusive outdoor experiential programs for young people.

Briana Miller

Is the Coordinator of the National GBV Strategy for Agencies Serving Immigrants and the GBV Prevention Program at YMCA Immigrant Services. Her experience combines front line work in GBV prevention programs for newcomer children, youth and adults while also coordinating cross sector collaboration, capacity building and trainings. While this work has been inclusive of all genders, there has been a significant focus on engaging men and boys. Previous to this, she has over 20 years in professional consulting, facilitating and community engagement work as well as was the Co-Youth Engagement Coordinator for the NS Sexual Violence Strategy. Briana also brings her lived experience as a queer women and survivor of GBV and believes that we all have a role to play in the GBV prevention.

Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith (she/they) is the Provincial Sexual Violence Prevention Education Coordinator, overseeing sexual violence prevention programming and training at all post secondary institutions in NS. She holds a B.A and B.Ed from Acadia, and taught for a year in private education before moving into her current work. She has been involved in GBV movements across the province since she was a teen, ranging from policy work to leading protests. Cameron has been studying the “Manosphere” to develop a resource for young men and the people who work with them to help navigate this issue. When not working, Cameron can usually be found with a book in her hand and a cat in her lap.

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