Funders, voluntary sector organisations and statutory agencies often observe levels of engagement disproportionate between the genders. Over the coming months the Young Foundation, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, will be undertaking a programme of research looking at the way men engage with social projects.

Covering social projects working with men in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and looking at international comparisons, the study will seek to identify barriers to men engaging with those projects as well as examples of good practice for overcoming these barriers.

Different organisations develop and use different engagement strategies and we will be looking to synthesise these in order to produce an accessible and user-friendly guide for NGOs and funding bodies signposting them to the most effective strategies which achieve maximum engagement and sustained participation from male service users.