“Gender Jagrik” is a leadership journey with men and boys aiming to shift narratives about masculinity, reduce gender-based violence and significantly improve positive life indicators for women (e.g. school enrolment, freedom of movement, decision-making, sexual and reproductive rights, relationships and more). This vartaLab was conceived in 2020, when a group of vartaLeap members with deep gender work and youth programming experience came together with the intention of co-creating a youth-centric innovation on gender. The members included organizations such as Breakthrough, ComMutiny, Indo Global Social Service Society, Mittika, People for Change, Pravah, The YP Foundation, Talash, YES Foundation, as well as dedicated individuals. Over six months, the vartaLab convened regularly and arrived at the idea of working with men and boys to challenge gender norms and question current concepts of masculinity. They also decided to design the innovation to “scale with soul” through the use of lay facilitators. Furthermore, they determined that the intervention needed to be grounded in their lived realities, since past experiences showed that curriculum-based training had limited impact once men and boys returned to their social contexts. Based on these requirements, the group designed an initiative to impact gender norms (including those relating to masculinity) by identifying “inspired insiders” – young men and boys aged 15-29 years old who are motivated to change the unequal distribution of power and privilege in their immediate circle and communities. These young men and boys are aware of the gender-based injustice, violence and discrimination in their communities and hold the potential to influence others and drive norm change. The intervention is built around a series of dialogue circles to help young men and boys switch their feeling of guilt (stemming from being complicit in perpetuating gender inequality, either through their actions or silence) to a feeling of ownership for the situation. This switch inspires them to take empathetic actions to address key situations. These “inspired insiders” then go on to facilitate similar circles with others in their communities and collaborate with girls and women on action projects to slowly start shifting norms. The vartaLab members collaboratively designed the intervention and four member organizations are piloting it in their respective locations. The lab championed the pilot, acting as advisers and mentors to the implementing organizations. This process enabled non-gender-focused organizations to implement the programme and recognize that working with young men and boys could be a key imperative in their own work. Attitude shifts were measured among the young men and boys as well as in their communities. Positive shifts of up to 80% were observed on matters like gender roles, mobility of women and career choices. One positive story involves Naushad, who is 23 and has attended approximately eight sessions of Gender Jagrik. He is a plumber but wants to change his line of work and step into a government job. Naushad is a married man. His wife, Maalsa, and all of the women in his family follow “parda” and are usually very quiet and reserved even in their own homes. If the women of the house talk to someone from the other gender apart from their husbands or fathers, it is looked down upon. One day, Maalsa wasn’t feeling well and fainted while Naushad was away at work. His brother was at home but didn’t feel able to offer to help because of her “parda”. Thankfully, Naushad made it home in time and rushed his wife to the doctor. After this incident, Naushad told everyone at home that no “parda” is bigger than someone’s health. He also assured his wife and everyone at home that, step by step, these things will gradually change and that as a family, they must all engage in more conversations. This seemingly little step was a game-changer. There has been a significant shift in Naushad’s behaviour since he became a part of this intervention, I felt this the moment he stood by me when everyone was against me. Maalsa Parveen, Naushad’s wife The Gender Jagrik “Inspired Insider initiative” has since gained traction and is now active in five locations, engaging over 1,200 young men and boys. Notably, three of the organizations implementing the initiative had never previously run gender-focused programmes. The vartaLab now serves as an advisory group that adds depth and quality to the intervention, while co-envisioning a large-scale public initiative to build and disseminate narratives on gender-equal norms.CASE STORY The “Gender Jagrik” vartaLab One positive story involves Naushad, who is 23 and has attended approximately eight sessions of Gender Jagrik. He is a plumber but wants to change his line of work and step into a government job. Naushad is a married man. His wife, Maalsa, and all of the women in his family follow “parda” and are usually very quiet and reserved even in their own homes. If the women of the house talk to someone from the other gender apart from their husbands or fathers, it is looked down upon. One day, Maalsa wasn’t feeling well and fainted while Naushad was away at work. His brother was at home but didn’t feel able to offer to help because of her “parda”. Thankfully, Naushad made it home in time and rushed his wife to the doctor. After this incident, Naushad told everyone at home that no “parda” is bigger than someone’s health. He also assured his wife and everyone at home that, step by step, these things will gradually change and that as a family, they must all engage in more conversations. This seemingly little step was a game-changer. The Future is Collective: Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 76

The Future is Collective Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 2025