Project Details

HEROES® was founded in Berlin in 2007. Within the project, young men from so-called honour cultures advocate against oppression in the name of honour and work towards equal rights for women and men. HEROES® works in two steps: First, the coaches provide traininga for young men from honour cultures, who want to discuss equal rights, honour and human rights, and who want to change structures in their everyday lives and societies. We focus on the problematic role of males in the context of oppression of women and girls. The purpose is to give young men the opportunity to dissociate themselves from these power structures. During the training, they learn to obtain the strength and ability to overcome the borders, which are set by the honour culture. The project seeks to motivate young men through creative and pedagogic methods to take a stand against oppression in the name of honour and to fight for the right of girls and women to be treated equally, in accordance with human rights. After approximately nine months, when the young men’s attitude has become strong enough, they obtain their HEROES®certificate. Now they themselves offer the workshop they have completed in the training to schools, educational institutions, youth centres etc. The basic principle of these workshops, based on roleplays, is peer-education. Especially when it comes to more difficult issues, young people learn best from companions of the same age, who grew up within the same cultural and social context. They work together in order to question archaic circumstances in society, and offer alternative perspectives.