MÄN in Zagreb: Reflection, emotional access and care for young men MÄN’s colleagues Josefine and Elis recently participated in the conference "Beyond the Box: Gender-transformative Work with Boys and Young Men" in Zagreb, Croatia. The two-day conference was organized by our long-standing partner Status M, which this year celebrates 15 years of working to promote gender equality and prevent violence among young men. The event featured powerful discussions on masculinity, (de)radicalization, and the potential for change. Background on MÄN’s collaboration with Status MStatus M and MÄN have a close partnership within the global network "MenEngage", where both organizations are active European members. In 2023, Status M visited Sweden together with several partner organizations from Croatia. The meeting focused on gender-equal parenting, and included visits to the Swedish Parliament, the Social Insurance Agency, child health centers (BMM), and participation in our father group facilitator training.Day 1On the first day, Josefine was one of three speakers in the session "Expert Voices: Where Do Boys and Young Men Stand Today."In the presentation, we highlighted some of the challenges we see among boys and young men in Sweden today- such as mental health issues, loneliness, and difficulties in talking about emotions. Josefine spoke about how narrow masculinity norms contribute to these problems, and how certain clusters of these norms are, according to research, linked to a higher risk of violent behavior. She emphasized the importance of understanding the full context of young people’s lives and creating space for reflection, emotional access, and community in preventive work.The conference also addressed the growing gap between young men and women, as well as the global debate in the wake of the Netflix series Adolescence. Participants from both Croatia and other parts of Europe emphasized the importance of engaging on the digital platforms where young men are present, and of meeting youth on their own terms.Day 2On the second day, both Josefine and Elis held individual workshops, and the day concluded with a performance- the theater play Muškarčine (Macho Men).In Elis’s workshop, he talked about MÄN’s platform killar.se and the support model known as “the support ladder.” Meanwhile, Josefine presented our interactive material Machofabriken. Both sessions were very well received, with many questions from participants during and after the workshops.The second day ended with the theater play Muškarčine (Macho Men)—a controversial production developed over a decade ago as part of a project in Serbia, which is still performed across Europe. It explores themes such the militarization of boys, and the available spaces within which they can shape their own expressions of masculinity.We are very happy and grateful for the invitation from Status M, and for having such a rewarding network within MenEngage overall!