About Us

The Healthy Intergenerational Masculinity (HIM) Initiative is a grant funded project born from the dreams and aspirations of a coalition of community partners who are committed to cultivating more healthy embodiments of masculinity, opportunities for school and community-based intervention work, and men’s engagement. Centering a cross-sector approach to accountability work, systems change, and gender justice, the HIM Initiative is presently led by Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse, Goodwill Youth Reengagement Center, and Boys to Men Tucson.

Mission & Vision

The HIM Initiative aims to amplify the resources and supports available for masculine identified BIPOC youth and men in Tucson & Southern Arizona. It is the vision of the HIM Initiative and its community partners to reverse the destructive effects of toxic masculinity by transforming the policies and systems that harm these boys and creating new pathways for intergenerational accountability and healing work.

Our Impact

Increase BIPOC Mentorship: Pilot, scale and support all allied programs throughout Southern Arizona that specifically focus on supporting masculine-identified youth on their journeys towards healthy, purposeful lives — with a priority for supporting communities that have been historically oppressed, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC.)

Influence Systems and Policy Change: Identify and uproot systemic policy that harms masculine identified youth, especially within BIPOC communities. For example, we are partnering with our largest school districts to pilot transformative justice work in place of punitive approaches, which has a demonstrated link to the school–to–prison pipeline. Our goal is to identify a range of policies across both the educational and juvenile justice systems that can be challenged and transformed.

Expand Capacity: Radically increase the number who are devoted to healthy masculinity work with boys, in any capacity. This work involves recruiting and training men to be changemakers in their own communities, providing financial support to communities of men who can’t afford to get involved due to being impacted by various systems of oppression, and identifying and transforming other systemic barriers that unfairly prevent men, especially BIPOC men, from doing intergenerational work.

Training and Education: Create expansive community–wide healthy masculinity trainings and workshops that encourage systems change, community engagement, and transformative action.

HIM Community Fund Read More YLC - Youth Leadership Council Read More System Change Read More Community Readiness Assessment Read More

The HIM Initiative is a systems level change initiative that aims to amplify the resources and supports available for masculine identified BIPOC youth in Tucson & Southern Arizona.

Our Donors