August Updates: 2nd Edition of Healthy Masculinities Toolkit Now Available

With the smell of chili roasting in the air, as the summer comes to a close, we pause to reflect on all there is to harvest in this season. This year has been marked by relentless challenges and attacks aiming to destabilize our movement infrastructures, only to be met with resistance, resilience, and courage. For NMW.O, this political moment has reinforced our commitment to: stay the course, listen closely to our partners, nurture connection, and support healing and sustainability.

Among the many things we are harvesting is the 2nd edition of the Healthy Masculinities Toolkit. This resource has continued to expand and ignite vital conversations around nonviolence, relationship building, and community care for all. With gratitude for your support, we move forward in solidarity with all our communities striving for dignity and care across New Mexico.

Created in collaboration with 17 organizations across New Mexico and shaped by community feedback, the updated Healthy Masculinities Toolkit 2nd Edition invites us to explore gender, reimagine masculinities, deepen consent in our relationships, and consider nonviolent approaches to relationships and community building.

We invite you to use this toolkit to support the development of healthy masculine expressions rooted in connection, compassion, emotional awareness, humility, respect, collaboration, and courageous vulnerability.

Inside you’ll find:

Pre-readings on masculinities
A Facilitator’s Guide with prep tools and evaluations
13 group activities on a wide variety of topics, including affirmative consent, music and masculinities, and supporting fathers and partners in the birthing process
Printable handouts and additional resources

Rooted in connection, compassion, humility, and courageous vulnerability, the toolkit offers nonviolent approaches to relationships and community building.

Download the toolkit in Spanish and English here!

Thank you to our steadfast partners who have contributed to this manual and our ongoing healthy masculinities community of practice, some of whom include:

Breath of My Heart Birthplace, Enlace Comunitario, Fathers New Mexico, New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, NM Health Equity Partnership, Oak Hill Coaching & Consulting, LLC, Resolve, Solace Sexual Assault Services, Together for Brothers, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, Violence Prevention @ NM Department of Health, and Vital Spaces.

As our CEO Sarah Ghiorse reminds us, the act of gathering is itself an act of resistance. That’s why we have been hosting Cultivating Communities of Care—a series of lunchtime gatherings where we connect, reflect, and dream alongside those invested in a more just New Mexico. These gatherings support our commitment to nurturing connection as a response to national funding rollbacks and harmful rhetoric.

In our most recent gathering, we hosted a conversation about the history, current reality, and future of the movements and grantee partners we support within the present socio-political context. We were inspired and energized by the bravery, resilience, and optimism represented in the room. Collective wisdom and care are critical resources for this time as we imagine and work toward a just and sustainable future.

Our final gathering in 2025 will take place on November 12. We hope you’ll be part of this ongoing conversation—one that reminds us that in addition to organizing and policy, movements are built through presence and relationships.

Reach out to Rachel Rodriguez, Development Director, at rachel@newmexicowomen.org for more information.

Make a Gift Today!

NEWMEXICOWOMEN.ORG I 505-750-1732