Transforming Masculinities among Young Men: Insights from Youth Work Practice in Ireland

Engaging Boys and Young Men in Caring Masculinities: Insights from Youth Work Practice in Ireland

This participatory research project explores how young men who are youth workers and educators in Dublin, Ireland, understand and engage with constructions of masculinity and care in their work with boys and young men. Building on existing literature around gender, youth work, and critical studies of masculinities, the study centres the lived and professional experiences of practitioners as co-creators of knowledge. Using a focus group and arts-based workshop, the research investigates how these youth workers navigate, challenge, and communicate ideas about masculinity in everyday practice, particularly in the face of rising gender conservatism and online misogyny. Through collaborative analysis and creative outputs, the project aims to deepen academic understanding of masculinities in community settings while contributing to the development of practical, locally grounded resources and strategies that challenge harmful gender norms among boys and young men. Principal Investigator: Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila; Co-Investigator: Theresa Schilling; Community Researchers: Fiona Whelan and Dannielle Mc Kenna.

Dr. Fiona Whelan is an artist, writer, and lecturer at NCAD, experienced in socially engaged research. Her practice-based doctoral research examined power relations and inequalities through arts and qualitative research. Fiona has led interdisciplinary projects combining creative methods with community engagement to engage boys and young men, including the What Does He Need? project with Rialto Youth Project.

Dannielle McKenna is Project Manager at Rialto Youth Project, with over a decade of youth work experience and a Master’s in Child, Family, and Community Studies. She has developed youth work pedagogy, arts-based gender projects, and community models grounded in social justice. Dannielle also lectures in youth work and counselling, bringing practical and theoretical insights into systems of oppression and mental health.