Young Barbican Nights: Masculinities

Ben Hurst is a host, presenter, podcaster, model and public speaker. His work focuses on challenging traditionally toxic forms of masculinity and exploring ideas of minimum standards and positive masculinities. He is the Head of Facilitation and Training at The Good Lad Initiative (GLI) and coordinates their workshops in schools and universities. Ben also works with Fearless Futures, an Anti-Oppression organisation, and is the Founding Director of SPACE for PSHE, an independent PSHE provision for secondary schools that facilitates important conversations with young people around sex, race, and gender equality.

Watch his TEDxLondonWomen Talk, ‘Boys won’t be boys. Boys will be what we teach them to be’. 

Jamie Windust is an award-winning editor, writer, speaker and model, who explores authenticity, creativity and forging identity as a non-binary person. They have also worked within the fashion industry with brands such as ShowStudio, Tommy Hilfiger, UGG, ASOS, River Island and Rokit Vintage, where they explore the representation and impact of queer identities in fashion and how these can incur meaningful change.

Char Ellesse is the founder and director of Girls Will Be Boys (GWBB), an online platform blurring the lines between gender roles. Through the video series girlswillbeboys presents she opens up a discussion around modern day gender assigned roles, through shared experiences and personal journeys to self -acceptance. She has also modelled for brands such as Weekday, Zandra Rhodes and Rachel Boston as well as working with brands such as MAC, Google and Netflix.

Fredi Beard is co-founder and co-director of Voicebox Theatre, a company that uses drama and applied theatre to facilitate the rediscovery of more authentic, caring masculinities in schools. He is interested in how masculinity affects male mental health, and the uses of applied theatre as methods for creating awareness around masculine stereotypes and the ways in which they affect our lives.