Plan of Action for the Men's Section
3/1/1999 - 5/31/2001

Themes:       A Man's Viewpoint       Fatherhood       Childhood & Adolescence       Violence       Men's Events
http://www.kaapeli.fi/~mies/english/topics.htm 

Basis

The Men's Section (officially the Subcommittee on Men's Issues) has three principal roles; to serve as a discussion forum for, to initiate resolutions in and to produce reports on men's issues. The section is needed to arouse public discussion on men's issues especially because there are only a few bodies with an equally wide expertise in men's issues.
      The Men's Section aims at defining men's starting points, conditions and goals for equality efforts, at encouraging men to a responsible fatherhood, at supporting antiviolence efforts and at changing negative attitudes towards equality efforts by showing that also men profit from equality.
      The Men's Section continues the work and discussions of previous sections to support fatherhood, to oppose domestic violence and to define a man's perspective. A new theme is childhood and adolescence.

A Man's Viewpoint

Document on Men's Politics
The need for a document on men's politics was recognised already by the previous Men's Section. The document was included in the plan of action of the Council for Equality, and was assigned to the Men's Section.
      The objective is to define a man's perspective for the public administration and the Council for Equality, as well as for the men's movement. The document shall answer questions like what a man's perspective implies for equality efforts, how to get men involved in equality work, what standpoint the Council shall take regarding men's issues and how a man's perspective shall be implemented in public administration (mainstreaming).
      The document will be published in two parts. The first part will define the basis for a man's perspective and investigate it thematically. The second document will investigate what a man's perspective looks like and what it should look like in public administration as well as in the NGO community. This project will continue during the whole term of the Men's Section so that the first part will be published during 1999 and the second by the end of the term.

Fatherhood

Following Up the 'New Ways with Dad' Conference
During spring 1999 a report from the Nordic 'New Ways with Dad' conference on fatherhood, arranged autumn 1998, will be published. The Men's Section aims at giving the report publicity. With this report as a basis a follow-up to the conference is planned ia by encouraging the EU or the European Council to arrange a similar conference.

Following Up the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Fatherhood Commission
The Men's Section will during spring 1999 prepare a statement for the Council for Equality about the Report of the Fatherhood Commission, and will follow up how the recommendations of the report are implemented.

Childhood and Adolescence

The Importance of Gender in Childhood & Adolescence
In 2000-2001 the Men's Section will arrange a seminar, an event or a campaign on boys and adolescence. The Men's Section wants to investigate how to encourage mutual interaction between boys and girls as well as boys' relations with other boys and men. Similar currently ongoing projects ia in Sweden can provide models. One objective is to tackle (gender) segregation in schools and to encourage boys to choose subjects traditionally dominated by girls.

Men in Child Related Professions
One of the goals of the Men's Section is to investigate ways to increase men's interests in educational and social service areas traditionally dominated by women. This issue will be actualized in the year 2000 when the section plans to arrange eg a seminar on the theme.

Violence

Seminar on Men's Violence Against Women
In cooperation with the White Ribbon Campaign Finland the Men's Section will arrange a two-day seminar on men's violence against women, during the Campaign week, Nov 28 - Dec 5, 1999.
      The main themes of the seminar will be the prevention of violence and the treatment of violent men. A successful American model for treating violent men, the so called Duluth model, will be presented in the seminar, by American experts. Funding from the EU for the seminar will be applied for.

Men's Events

Man's Day (Jan 28)
The Men's Section has celebrated Jan 28 already twice as a 'Man's day' (nameday of 'Mies' = man in Finnish) by awarding a prize for antiviolence work and by publishing an Anthology on Men. The section will continue this tradition also during 2000 and 2001.

Participation in Men Related Events
The Men's Section keeps up with and participates in national and international men related events such as the annual Väinö Days, a men's cultural event in Tampere.