Atlantic Pilot Project
Expanding GuysWork across Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the Atlantic pilot provides an exciting opportunity to offer GuysWork in schools across Atlantic Canada, and to understand the impact of a longitudinal model that involves cohorts of male-identified youth participating in GuysWork for three consecutive grades. Over the course of three-years, a group of teachers and other school-based, professional staff will be trained to successfully facilitate GuysWork directly in schools, for male-identified youth as they move from grades 6 to 8. A key element of GuysWork Atlantic is understanding impact of the program and approach for participants.
A three-year evaluation will be a part of this exciting pilot. Ongoing feedback or data (surveys, interviews) will be gathered from students to understand how GuysWork has shifted attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours. Interviews will also be conducted with facilitators, other school-based staff, regional leaders, and members of the GuysWork Atlantic Steering Committee to gather feedback on the pilot to inform and support the long-term sustainability of GuysWork in schools in Atlantic Canada and beyond.
Recent Publication
GuysWork completed a quantitative pilot evaluation of the program which took place in grade 7–8 classrooms in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021). This pilot study of GuysWork has resulted in important lessons learned that will ensure a forthcoming Atlantic Canada-wide evaluation results in robust evidence with the potential to support the need for masculinity norm-changing work specifically for adolescent boys in schools.