The Future of Men & Boys Forum
The Future of Men & Boys Forum
Berlin, Saturday 21 November 2026. In English.
Amid growing backlash against progressive values, feminism and democracy, the Forum brings together participants from politics, academia, men's studies and civil society to focus on solutions. Organised by The Possible Man (Portugal) and PathForge (Germany).
The aim is to facilitate direct exchange across the sector, allowing participants to explore the wheels already invented - proven strategies, successful models, and effective interventions - and adapt them to their local contexts. We are particularly keen to create an environment where researchers discover insights from field experience, while practitioners and policymakers draw on cutting-edge research to drive real impact. In the end, we will all leave having a better idea of what works and how to do it.
How the day works
The Forum inverts the usual conference dynamic to give voice to you, while an expert panel asks the questions that can inspire you to develop actionable strategies for your future work.
- Morning - you set the agenda. After a short welcome, you post the challenges you actually face, and the solutions you have already tried, on four to five themed boards. You move between boards to bring fresh perspective to problems outside your own field.
- Late morning - the expert panel responds. Over the break, the team and the panelists read every board and pull out the themes that cut across them. The panel then discusses and questions your material.
- Lunch - posters and voting. Posters go up beside the themed board they speak to, so your project meets the people already working on that problem. You vote with stickers on which challenges get worked on.
- Afternoon - work groups. Two hours in parallel work panels, each with a moderator, deep-diving into your priorities and turning them into specific strategies we can all use. Every group reports back at the close.
All participants are invited to present their own work through posters and lightning talks, and to explore synergies with other projects, organisations or active actors.
The panel
Confirmed: Gary Barker (Founder & CEO, Equimundo) and Debbie Ging (Professor of Digital Media and Gender, Dublin City University). A media or political voice and a youth representative to be announced.
The day
- 09:00-09:30 Registration
- 09:30-09:45 Welcome and format explanation
- 09:45-11:00 Participant-led problem & solution brainstorm
- 11:00-11:15 Break (boards reviewed for cross-cutting themes)
- 11:15-12:30 Expert panel discussion on the participants' material
- 12:30-14:00 Lunch, networking, poster session and voting
- 14:00-16:00 Work panels
- 16:00-16:15 Break
- 16:15-17:00 Closing session and report-out
The day before
Following the German Federal Ministry's international conference on boys and men on the preceding Friday, this event offers an opportunity for an even deeper reflection and active exchange on related and emerging topics.
Tickets
Every ticket includes 2 EUR that covers the ticketing platform and card processing - we have built the fee into the price rather than adding a surprise at checkout. While early bird tickets last, choose those: they are 15 EUR cheaper than standard.
Full details: https://thefutureofmenandboys.com
Venue to be announced
Berlin, Germany
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