WO(MEN) Empowerment was a project co-financed by the European Union and implemented by two partner organisations: Fundacja Wyobraź sobie from Poland and Dreams for Life from Romania.

Within the project, we exchanged our experiences of working with men (Dreams for Life) and women (Fundacja Wyobraź sobie), and we offered various activities for adult learners from both countries, for example:

English workshops online

During 12 online English workshops organised for all genders, we got to know each other, practised our English, got familiar with Erasmus+ priorities and other important topics, and developed our digital skills and confidence in working in an international environment. Each workshop lasted 2h and they included topics like Life balance and priorities, Positive psychology, Changemaking, Climate change, Mindfulness and mental wellbeing, Democracy, Financial intelligence, Diversity, Life Purpose, etc. 

Women's and men's circles

Women's and men's 6 offline circles for men in Romania and for women in Poland, as well as 6 international circles online for women and 6 for men run by trainers from both partner organisations. During the circles, we:

Learned to recognise, name, and adequately react to our emotions. We became more confident in sharing our thoughts, experiences, and stories with others. We got inspired and motivated by thoughts, experiences and stories others shared. We reflected on the implications of being a woman or a man regarding the feeling of brotherhood/sisterhood and support from working closely with people. We learned to stop and reflect and become more mindful in daily life. We reflected on our mission/values, what's important, and our life goals.

Empowered Together - mobility for adult learners

In September 2023, we—men and women from Poland and Romania—met together in the Polish mountains for a five-day mobility trip to see how we can relate to each other and become empowered together.

The Empowered Together training focused on the following topics:

Womanhood and Manhood

We worked on what it means to be a woman or a man in our societal place, our expectations, and our response to them. We discussed and analysed what gender roles we fulfil and how this influences our ability to create strong relations with others. We looked at power relations and dynamics and how they manifest in our lives.

Communication

We developed our skills of deep listening and empathy, being able to communicate with people of different origins and genders. We introduced the concept of Nonviolent communication, focusing on our needs and other people's needs.

Relationships

Continuing the work from the previous two sections, we reflected on what “relationships” mean and what we "need "d to build strong, resilient, and honest relations with ourselves and others.

Society

We discussed how, on the one hand, we can become more resilient and confident in who we are in relation to an environment that is not always supportive; on the other hand, we discussed how we can change society by introducing some of the qualities we discovered through this project into other people's topics, such as self-efficacy, change-making, empowerment, and anti-discrimination.

The Art of Women and Men Circles - training for facilitators

In November 2023, we met again to prepare participants for a 5-day training in Romania to facilitate circles and other kinds of activities designed for men and women.

The training for facilitators was a practical and experiential learning journey that had the following intentions:

To explore ideas, concepts and stories related to womanhood and manhood.To explore tools and concepts that facilitate the empowerment of women and men on specific topics. Developing knowledge, skills and attitudes would allow a human worker to facilitate development programs for women and men. To expand the personal consciousness of those who participated and go beyond the limiting stories related to what it means to be a woman and a man.To develop a community of human workers who want to create programs for women and men.

The training focused on the following themes and topics:

• Group facilitation (group work): we addressed elements connected with group dynamics and explored how to connect people authentically and make groups united and cohesive.
• Mentoring and coaching skills (one-on-one work): We worked with elements connected to deep listening, asking questions, mirroring, and guiding individuals in their unique life journeys.
• Deep connections: we explored ideas and practices that bring people into deep and honest spaces where they can heal, discover and transform.Femininity and masculinity: we explored ideas about womanhood and manhood, femininity and masculinity. 
• We explored the world of feminine and masculine archetypes and the stories (personal and collective) linked with them.
• Specific practices and tools: we explored and experienced specific practices and activities that can be used effectively for working with women and men.

Methods and practises which we used included, for example, women and men circles, nature explorations, presentations, interactive discussions, reflection groups, working in pairs, mentoring and coaching practices, journaling, symbolic art, music, singing, drumming and rhythms, storytelling, rituals and ceremonies, contemplative practices (silence, meditation, mindfulness), sharing circles and the way of council, dancing, embodiment, authentic movement, poetry.

By organising workshops, circles, and online and offline meetings for women and men, we experimented with various methods and approaches, selecting those that proved to be the most valuable for participants. We present them in the booklet, hoping that our work with men and women can also impact other environments and organisations working with adults interested in implementing or deepening male and/or female work. 

You can download the booklet from here. 

*Check the accessible version without graphics.

As additional products, we also prepared a half-hour movie to introduce the topic of working with men and women and Love Cards with 50 meaningful questions that can help develop our relationships with others.

Enjoy!