Gender inequalities shape young people’s lives in ways that affect their education, relationships, health, safety and opportunities.
However, in rural Honduras, conversations about gender, sexuality, relationships and power are often limited by stigma, social expectations and unequal access to information.
At educate., we believe safe spaces can allow youth to question norms, build confidence and imagine different possibilities.
Through ongoing workshops and targeted programmes on Comprehensive Sexuality Education, girls’ leadership, work with boys and young men on healthy and diverse masculinities, and youth-led peacebuilding activities, we create spaces where young people can develop the knowledge, confidence and skills to build healthier and more equitable communities.
Transforming unequal power relationships
We take a gender-transformative approach to education and youth empowerment.
For us, this means going beyond simply providing equal opportunities for girls and boys. It means creating spaces where young people can explore how gender norms and power shape their lives, and supporting them to question the expectations and inequalities that limit themselves and others.
Our workshops create safe, participatory spaces where young people can discuss topics that are often left out of formal education, including gender norms and stereotypes, healthy relationships, sexuality, self-esteem, communication, youth rights and wellbeing.
Crucially, we believe that working towards gender justice requires all of us.
We work with girls and young women to strengthen their confidence, knowledge and leadership.
And we work with boys and young men to question restrictive ideas about masculinity, develop healthier ways of relating to others, and become allies in creating more equitable communities.
Girls leading the way
Girls and young women face particular barriers to accessing education, information and opportunities to lead. For girls growing up in rural communities, issues such as menstrual stigma, period poverty and adolescent pregnancy can have a significant impact on their education, wellbeing and future opportunities.
Our work creates spaces where girls can build confidence, understand their rights, learn about their bodies and develop the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their lives and futures. Access to education is not only about staying in school; it is also about having the information and support to make choices that keep opportunities open.
We also support girls to take on leadership roles. Through ongoing mentoring, accompaniment and opportunities to lead, girls develop the skills and confidence to speak up, challenge gender norms, and become role models for others in their communities.
Since 2025, we have been part of Ellas al Frente, an initiative of global girls’ rights organisation Girl Rising, supporting girls to strengthen their leadership and advocate for the issues that matter to them.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education
We believe all young people have the right to accurate information about their bodies, health and rights. Our Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme creates spaces for young people to explore these issues through participatory and progressive learning.
Rather than focusing only on preventing negative outcomes, we approach sexuality education as an opportunity to develop knowledge, critical thinking, communication and decision-making skills.
Young people explore topics including:
- Self-esteem and values
- Body changes and puberty
- Menstrual health and menstrual justice
- Healthy relationships
- Consent and boundaries
- Communication and decision-making
- Gender norms and equality
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Preventing unintended pregnancy
- Recognising and challenging gender-based violence
Beyond our work with young people themselves, we also engage teachers, parents and caregivers, recognising that young people need supportive adults and communities around them to make informed decisions and build healthy relationships.
Boys and young men are part of the solution
Gender justice cannot be achieved by working only with girls. Boys and young men also experience pressures created by restrictive gender norms.
For many boys and young men, these norms can create pressure to conform to narrow ideas of masculinity – from expectations to become providers for their families at a young age, to the idea that showing vulnerability or expressing certain emotions is a sign of weakness. These expectations can affect their wellbeing and the ways they relate to others.
Through workshops led by trained facilitators, we create spaces where boys and young men can reflect on these expectations, question restrictive ideas about masculinity and explore healthier ways of understanding themselves and relating to others.
Since 2025, we have also been part of the HEEL Network for Healthy and Diverse Masculinities, led by the Global Fund for Children. Through the network, we learn alongside partners across Central America about how to engage boys and young men as allies for gender justice.
We believe that creating space for these conversations is an important part of building more equal communities where boys and young men can develop healthier relationships, express themselves freely and challenge the gender norms that limit everyone.
Youth-led peacebuilding
Honduras continues to face high levels of violence and inequality, and young people are often portrayed either as victims of violence or as those responsible for it. We believe this narrative overlooks an important reality: young people are also powerful agents of peace and positive change.
Our approach to peacebuilding is rooted in creating opportunities for young people to develop the skills, relationships and confidence needed to contribute to more peaceful communities.
This approach runs across all of our work. On the football pitch, young people learn teamwork, respect and cooperation. Through art, they explore their experiences and express ideas about the communities they want to create. Through youth leadership and communications, they develop the confidence to speak up and bring others together. Through our work on gender justice, they question harmful norms and build more respectful relationships.
By creating spaces where young people can connect across differences, build relationships and take on leadership roles, we are supporting a generation of young people who see themselves not only as affected by the challenges facing their communities, but as part of the solution.
educate. 