The programme was launched with the “Strength Without Violence” campaign; advocating for healthy concepts of manhood with its powerful tagline, “Be A (Real) Man: Strength Without Violence”. The campaign sought to ignite conversations among youths and parents on the topic of gender norms and gender-based violence by redefining what it means to be a man as a society. Last year, UWS also collaborated with various NGOs and government agencies to pinpoint challenges faced by vulnerable groups experiencing domestic violence and find ways to break the cycle of violence.
As observed, one of the key factors associated with gender-based violence; was the influence of negative societal gender stereotypes on men’s perception of women. The UWS Boys Empowered Programme was thus born to educate boys on healthy masculinity ideals and empower them to be allies for the prevention of violence against women. We empower boys to be individuals who will model strength without violence & be proactive bystanders with the skills to interrupt or prevent situations of violence in our community. We hope to raise public awareness of negative gender stereotypes and their role in the perpetration of violence against women, and challenge boys and men to confront these harmful stereotypes. This early engagement of boys, through advocating healthy concepts of masculinity, is essential to shatter harmful gender norms and prevent gender-based violence.
Males from 13 to 25 years old from all backgrounds.
“While Singapore is a progressive country, there remains a tremendous amount of urgent work that needs to be done to address gender-based violence and the societal norms that influence such behaviour. Encouraging men’s ownership of this growing problem, and being able to lean on their support to intervene in such situations is key to ending gender-based violence. We hope that men will step up to be active allies and help women feel safer in their environment.”
– Ms Georgette Tan, President of UWS.
For boys to unpack & unlearn harmful gender stereotypes while learning about emotional resilience & empathy, to encourage male allyship for gender equality & provide them with the skills and confidence to safely interrupt violence when it occurs to them and others.
For boys to hear from influential male leaders who will share their personal stories, strategies to convert challenges into opportunities and model leadership for boys and men to improve themselves and thrive.
Featuring subject matter experts on men’s health & well- being, psychology, sports & coaching and social or cultural issues to cultivate changemakers in our community who can make positive changes within their areas of influence.
We recently sat down with Candy and Constanz, 2 students from the UWS STEM First FinTech programme, and had a chat with them about what first got them interested in the programme, what they’ve learnt, and what advice they would like to give to other like-minded FinTech enthusiasts.
Being an ally is a continuous process of reflection, self-awareness and self-accountability. We must acknowledge and, more importantly, have conversations about the harmful effects of discrimination and biases we have about each gender.
By connecting these mentors with budding STEM enthusiasts, we hope that more girls will feel inspired to explore alternative career paths. Mentors and Mentee shares about what they learnt from the Girls2Pioneers STEM Mentorship Programme.
The inaugural United Women Singapore (UWS) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Festival that took place on 29 Oct, 2022 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, saw over 650 students, parents, educators and STEM professionals come together as a supportive community for young women to build their competence and inspire confidence in them to succeed in future of jobs in the STEM field.
This activity comes from our very own Girls2Pioneers programme. Learn what it takes to build
The first of our new STEM activities delves into the science behind food. ??? Gather
United Women Singapore is a local non-profit organisation that advances women’s empowerment and gender equality. The organisation works towards narrowing the gender equality gap through education and raising awareness and advocacy on issues of anti-violence and women’s empowerment, with the support of partners from the public and private sectors.
