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Module 1: Power and accountability
Session 1: Exploring power
Session 2: Gender, violence and the man box
Session 3: Gender, Violence, and Thinking Outside the Man Box Part 2
Session 4: Sexuality and Power

Session 1: Exploring Power

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Session objective and material needed

Objective
By the end of the session participants will have

  • Increased their understanding of how unequal power relations drive violence against women and girls.
  • Increased their understanding of the connection between gender, gender roles, power, and violence.

Material Needed

  • Flipchart paper (blank)
  • Markers and coloured pencils
  • Flipchart paper with group agreements
  • Music (optional)

Key messages

There are at least four different types of power. power to, power over, power with and power within.

Power itself is not good or bad but it can be used to help people or to harm people

Gender roles influence who is understood to have power and how people are allowed to use their power.

Violence or even the threat of violence is used as a way of getting and keeping power

Activities

Activity 1

Welcome and Review (15 minutes)

1. Welcome the participants on the next step of the journey to non-violence and survivors support, with today's discussion focusing on power and accountability.

2. Ask the men in the group to sit for 3 minutes and think about something they are grateful for. The facilitator may choose to have music playing in the background.

3. Set a timer for 3 minutes. After three minutes are up ask for volunteers to share how it felt to think about gratitude or thankfulness. Take up to 4 volunteers

Group Agreements: Theses should be hanging up in the room. The facilitator should briefly review the group agreements by reading through them. The group agreements are a facilitator’s tool to help create group norms that are respectful and set a tone of constructively challenging beliefs that are harmful to women, girls, and survivors. 

Activity 2

Different types of power (group work and group discussion) (1 hour)

1. Remind the group of the two questions they were asked to think about at the end of the last group. What does power look like to them and what are different ways they’ve seen people use power?

2. Ask if anyone in the group thought about the questions from the last group and ask for volunteers to share their thoughts on the two questions above.

3. After the group has had enough time to share their thoughts on what power looks like and how they’ve seen it used, ask the men to stand up. Ask them to go to the left if they think power is good and to the right if they think power is bad. Ask them to stand in the middle if they are not sure if they think power is good or bad. Ask at least 2 men from each part of the room to share why they chose to go to the left, right or stay in the middle. Take time to hear from at least 2 men in each location (left, right, middle). Invite the men to return to their seats.

4. Facilitator explains that power is the ability to influence or control people, opportunities, or resources.

5. Ask participants if they think there are different types of power? Using four different flipcharts write power to, power over, power with and power within.

6. Facilitator shares that power can be used in different ways. It can be used for good and it can also be abused and used to harm people. Power in and of itself is not good or bad. It is how people choose to use their power that makes it good or bad, useful, or harmful.

7. Break the men into four groups of three. Give each group one of the flipcharts and markers or coloured pencils. Ask men to draw or write what they think the type of power on their flipchart means. Set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes ask each group to share whatever is on their flipchart or key parts of their discussion. Each group should get 4 minutes to share.

POWER

Power To: Power that can be used to help others, to bring about change, or create opportunities for others

Power With: Power that is used collaboratively with people joining together to create a collective power together in order to achieve common goals.

Power Over: Power that is used to have control OVER another person or people through the use of formal authority and position, either by threatening them, denying them opportunities, or hurting them.

Power Within: this refers to our internal strength. It involves a sense of self-worth, self-awareness, and dignity. Power within’ is the capacity to imagine and have hope even in the most challenging circumstances.

8. Start connecting the concept of gender and gender roles to who has power. Facilitator should read or ask for volunteers to read the following scenario.

Scenario

SCENARIO
John and Mary have been married for 15 years and have three children, two boys and a girl. The girl, Alma is 13. About 11 months ago they were forced to flee their homes and their country because of political unrest. They are now living in very crowded conditions and are having a hard time feeding the family and getting basic necessities. John decides that Alma is old enough to find a husband and he thinks that may help her stay safe. John tells Mary that he is going to find a husband for Alma. Mary begs John to let Alma stay in school. John and Mary argue until John tells Mary to stop talking about it because he has already made the decision for Alma to get married.

Questions for the group
• How did listening to that story make you feel? Did you notice anything happening in your body as you listened to the story?
• Who had power in this situation and why? (Facilitator should note power over and power within specifically if the participants don’t name those)
• Do men and women have equal amount of power? Why or why not?

9. Facilitator introduces the concept of gender and gender roles and give the definition of each. Facilitator points out the gender roles evident in the story (head of the house, decision maker, not questioning decisions etc.)

Concepts for discussion

Facilitator shares that the term gender refers to the economic, social, and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female. Gender differs from sex in that it is social and cultural in nature rather than biological.

Gender is about learned behaviour. Gender attributes and characteristics, I.e. the roles that men and women play, and the expectations placed upon them, vary in different communities, and change over time.

Note that in the next session we will talk about the Man-box and how gender shows up there.

Emphasise that gender is socially constructed meaning that it is attitudes and beliefs that make up the social norms or expectations about how men and women act. Men and women face different expectations about how they should dress, behave, and what opportunities they have access to.

Gender Roles refers to the roles and responsibilities that men and women are assigned based on social norms.

For example, a gender role is that women take care of the children.

For example, a gender role is that men take care of the money/finances in the family. Emphasize there is different value and power associated with men and women’s expected gender roles.

Men’s gender roles are ascribed more power and status then those expected of women and girls. Again, emphasize that this is changeable. It is something we will talk more about in the coming sessions

Activity 3

Closing / debrief (15 minutes)

  1. Summarise the session by summarising the 4 different types of power discussed.
  2. Highlight how power was used in the story.
  3. sk participants to start preparing for the next session by thinking about the different types of power men and women have and the power between them.
  4. Thank the participants for their active participation and for starting the journey and remind them when and where the next session will take place.