WiseGuyz
What is WiseGuyz?
WiseGuyz is a Canadian-developed, gender transformative healthy relationships promotion and youth dating violence prevention program that addresses the issues mid-adolescent boys (~ages 14-16) face and gives them tools to engage in healthy relationships. The program was developed and is offered by Calgary’s Centre for Sexuality, and has rigorous evidence of effectiveness.
Current WiseGuyz Projects
The WiseGuyz Program: Scaling Up and Out
The current project aims to expand the existing WiseGuyz evidence base by (1) scaling the program up nationally so that the program can be delivered in new locations and settings across Canada, and (2) scaling the program out to new audiences by developing and testing booster content for late adolescent boys (~ages 16-18) through an interactive, web-based platform.
Previous WiseGuyz Projects
Outcome Evaluation of the WiseGuyz Program
This project aimed to demonstrate the WiseGuyz program's effectiveness through a mixed-methods, longitudinal outcome evaluation with approximately 600 boys in 2 school divisions from 2019-22.
WiseGuyz Scaling Project
To date, the WiseGuyz program has primarily been offered in Calgary and surrounding areas. This project evaluated the program's expansion to new schools across Alberta. In 2018-19, the WiseGuyz program was scaled to 2 new schools across Alberta, and expanded to 4 schools in 2019-20. This scaling project aimed to understand best practices for implementing the WiseGuyz program across different contexts.
Evaluation of the Community-Based WiseGuyz Program
To fully understand program impacts, using a variety of methods is important. This project used a photo-based evaluation method to evaluate WiseGuyz with youth from a residential treatment setting in Canada. Participants in this project are given cameras, and photography is used to explore what being a guy in the world means to them before and after completing the WiseGuyz program. The participants also had an opportunity to explain their photos and what they meant to them. This project provides an essential alternative to survey research to understand how guys experience their world during and after completing the WiseGuyz program.
