The Young Men and Media Collective: Learning what works to support men's health online
What is the YMMC?
The Young Men and Media Collective (YMMC) is an ambitious new initiative that aims to transform the online worlds of young men in a way that supports their health and wellbeing. It brings together creators, platforms, and organisations to test what works to expand ideas about what it means to be a man, which young men are increasingly exposed to online.We know from our research that over 60% of young men are engaging with content from online masculinity influencers, and this content is impacting their health in both positive and negative ways.
The YMMC serves as a hub for experimentation, learning, and dialogue, focused on expanding and reshaping the dominant—and often harmful—ideas about what it means to be a man that persist in online environments.
Who is co-convening YMMC?
Movember and Equimundo are co-convening the YMMC, bringing both organisations’ expertise in masculinities, health, social justice and putting research insights into action.
What are the “test and learn” funded projects?
As part of the YMMC, Movember, Equimundo, and Oak Foundation are co-funding 9 ‘test and learn’ projects led by organisations and individual content creators. These funded projects will produce and distribute a range of different compelling content that speaks directly to young men. The goal is to disrupt harmful narratives—specifically the idea that to be successful you must be ‘relentlessly rich and ripped, at all costs’—and offer alternative, healthier ideas about fitness, financial stability, and what it means to be a man.
These pilot projects will explore what messages, formats, and creative tactics work to engage and support young men. Learnings from what does and doesn’t work will be shared with the YMMC’s wider Learning Network in order to equip a larger group of organisations to effectively support and create alternative narratives with the goal of ultimately shifting young men’s views of what it means to be a man today.
What is the YMMC’s Learning Network?
We have built a diverse and dynamic Learning Network which brings together content creators, producers, influencers, media platforms, narrative change experts and organisations reaching men and boys online in a collaborative space. YMMC partners are coming along the learning journey with us, participating in our online and in-person convenings, connecting with others across the sector looking to make positive change, and building towards a collective strategy that supports young men’s health online.
We want to ensure that the insights we gather from our ‘test and learn’ funded projects and narrative change research can be applied to the work of others across the sector, building sector capacity and working towards a shared strategy of making the online world a safer space for young men and those around them.
How to find out more
If you are curious about becoming a partner in the YMMC Learning Network, please email tessa.bartholomew-good@movember.com.
If you would like to stay up to date with updates on this project, please email ymmc@movember.com to be added to our newsletter.