"Be A Man" is the youth club in Puka, which includes girls and boys from the city of Puka from 13 to 18 years old.. "Be A Man" club, like the name suggests, aims at information and awareness raising on gender equality, human rights, fight against gender-based violence, social inequality, sexual and reproductive health, and sexually transmitted infections.
The "Be Man Club" includes not only girls, but also energetic boys who dare and have the courage to discuss and debate around issues that are still a taboo in the area they live.
Ronaldo is a 16-year-old boy and is part of the “Be a Man” Club. He shareshis experience with us, from the beginning to the present. How difficult it has been for him and his peers to raise their voices on gender equality, social equality between girls and boys, or other issues related to these topics.
"Be A Man" Club is a very interesting group that discusses topics that affect us all nowadays. It all happens in our daily lives, in our city or beyond. Through the "Be a Man" Club we not only share information with our peers, but we also express our perspectives and discuss what can be done for a better future," he says.
It is not easy to engage young people when it comes to gender equality or equal social rights. "Of course, it's not easy. These themes and terms have their difficulties to be accepted and well understood by our friends. But being together in large numbers, boys and girls, discussing it and encouraging our friends to think differently in our weekly meetings, has made it easier to accept the differences”, Ronaldo says.
The youth club of Puka is constantly supported by UNFPA Albania through its partner, Act for Society, which holds periodic meetings every week, sharing experiences and information and enabling young people to take informed decisions for themselves.
Ronaldo, has a message for his peers. "Be a man, women and girls are not objects, but human beings who deserve love, respect, and care." For Ronaldo, education is a very important element, especially in dealing with gender equality issues, and not only in Puka.
If each of us takes a little step towards changing the mindset of even one person, we have taken a step towards positive change.
