New Conversations with Leaders

Background of the training

For 25 years, Men’s Development Network have been engaging with men across Ireland to be their best selves as individuals, partners, husbands, fathers, grandfathers, sons, friends, and neighbours. Assumptions around gender roles are changing and there is a need to redefine the expectations that society has of men and boys in a way that centres their capabilities and their experiences. The programme “New Conversations with Leaders” engages men in leadership roles to support them in navigating the complexities of a fast-changing landscape. “New Conversations with Leaders” aims to engage participants in new conversations about leadership, offering them a space to get creative and explore themselves, understanding what their leadership style looks like, and exploring what strategies and approaches they want to implement in their line of work, volunteering and/or advocacy. The programme encourages the leadership skills of men, helps them feel empowered and provides the support network to sustain their engagement in their own communities.

To make these conversations possible, we bring a variety of men together; men who are already engaged in their community and men who may be marginalised or at risk of marginalisation who would like to get involved more as a community leader. Our goal is to create a space where the group explores different topics in a peer-to-peer learning setting as well as creating a community where participants can find support and keep growing together.

We want to create a safer space, where participants can feel comfortable to express themselves; a space in which they get to reflect on their practice and learn from others. We also want to create a brave space, that invites participants to lean into discomfort, challenge assumptions, and engage openly with diverse perspectives which are key conditions to encourage growth and change within the group setting.

The programme takes place over six months. It begins with a weekend residential training where participants get to know each other and get familiar themselves with foundational topics. Following this, we offer a series of webinars with guest speakers and international guests (recognised ambassadors for advocacy) so participants can experience different examples of leadership. A final residential weekend is held where participants put their learnings into action and explore how they want to use them in their own community contexts.

New Conversations with Leaders has four main goals:

To facilitate conversations that support participants to become more grounded in their lived experience, build confidence in their skills and identify, if and where they need support in their practice.
To open a space for vulnerability and exchange, where participants can work on their emotional intelligence skills. This highlights the strengths of working in cooperation rather than isolation – asking for help, recognising limitations and taking accountability for themselves and their health.

To create a community of practice where participants can find like-minded people they can work with to develop their projects and put actions in place.
To create solidarity between different organisations and activists across the social and advocacy sector in Ireland to create a more sustainable practice.

Participant’s profile

New Conversations with Leaders values diversity within the group so that the learning experience is more enriching. Working in a multicultural, multiethnic, intergenerational and gender inclusive space, participants get to have conversations around shared values, identifying commonalities as well as learning from difference and are encouraged to approach such differences with curiosity and respect.
All participants selected for this project must meet the following criteria:
• Be 18 years or older
• Be active in leadership within their community in a professional or volunteer capacity, or have an interest in becoming more active in leadership
• Have an interest in exploring leadership, personal development and becoming a champion for equality, inclusion and justice.
• commit to actively participate from the beginning to the end of the training

We explicitly encourage men of all sexual orientation and gender identity, civil and family status, ages, abilities, socioeconomic status, religion and ethnic backgrounds to apply.

Logistics and financial conditions

The course will take place over three different phases. We will start with a residential training that will take place from the 16th until the 18th of October 2026, followed by a series of evening webinars, that will be held monthly from November until February, and it will end with a final residential training from the 20th until the 21st of March 2027.

The course is free of charge.