Equimundo & WOW join forces for inaugural MenCare Changemaker Summit in Rio

Equimundo: Centre for Masculinities and Social Justice will present the inaugural MenCare Changemaker Summit in partnership with WOW - Women of the World in Rio de Janeiro from 27 to 30 May 2026. 

The four-day programme will engage thousands of people in Rio, creating an unprecedented space for global collaboration.  The summit will reimagine the role of men in care and equality - and how we can accelerate wellbeing for men and boys, together with women and girls and people of all gender identities, including exploring solutions to the global crisis of gender-based violence. It marks a key milestone in a dynamic two-year journey for the 100 MenCare Changemakers that began in the autumn of 2025 and continues with a second summit in Melbourne in 2027.

From the manosphere to men’s health, boys’ challenges in education and increasing push back against women’s rights, the global conversations around men and masculinity are gaining increasing global visibility - and too often become divisive and distorted. Recognising the scale and urgency of the moment requires systematic coordinated action, this landmark global convening will bring together over 100 MenCare Changemakers - leaders and decision-makers from business, media, culture, civil society, and government from around the world - with a cohort of international and Brazilian experts, and the wider public in Rio, to co-create bold, practical solutions that advance gender equality, and answer some of the most important challenges facing men, boys and manhood around the world today.

A Summit Focused on Solutions and Action 

The MenCare Changemaker Summit will begin in Rio de Janeiro on 27 May with a two-day intensive workshop at Solar Real in the historic Santa Teresa district. Purposefully bringing together new voices with global experts in the field, this hands-on cross-sector collaboration is dedicated to co-designing and implementing the practical, concrete solutions this moment demands. The specially invited MenCare Changemakers will be assigned one of seven ‘action tracks’, co-convened by Equimundo and partners including Safe Online, Van Leer Foundation, The Christchurch Call, Global Action on Men’s Health, Champions of Change Coalition, Alianza Global por los Cuidados (Global Alliance for Care) and American Institute for Boys and Men. Together, they will create a ‘MenCare Solutions Roadmap,’ built to move from urgency to action, strengthen global partnerships, and accelerate the policies, practices, and narratives needed to realise a future based on caring, accountable and connected manhood. 

MenCare Changemakers will also visit some of Brazil’s leading, grassroots projects to gain real-world insight into how innovative policy and community initiatives are being implemented on the ground. The seven action tracks are:

• Caring online spaces - in partnership with Safe Online
• Caring manhood in cities and regions - in partnership with Van Leer Foundation
• Democracy, violent extremism, and tech-enabled harms - in partnership with The Christchurch Call
• Men’s health and health for all - in partnership with Global Action on Men’s Health
• Caring manhood in workplaces- in partnership with Champions of Change Coalition
• Men and care policies - in partnership with Alianza Global por los Cuidados (Global Alliance for Care)
• Boys and education, in partnership with American Institute for Boys and Men

 A focus on men’s role in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV) will be woven throughout the summit, recognising that finding solutions to GBV, and the systems and norms that sustain it, is crucial to all aspects of the MenCare Changemaker Journey. 

Whilst policy shifts are vital, lasting change only happens when culture itself evolves - when people are invited to take part, discover new ideas and perspectives. Throughout the summit, WOW will lead an additional strand of activity focused on the role of arts, festival, and storytelling as essential tools for social change. 

During the two-day Changemaker Workshop on 27 and 28 May, they will also convene a group of leading artists to shape a WOW festival methodology focused on boys and men, designed to spark discussion, reflection, and the sharing of ideas across borders that can be utilised by WOW partners around the world. Building on WOW’s long-standing work with boys and men, artists joining the Changemakers Workshop include musician and activist Jordan Stephens, poet Sam Browne, artist Juca Fiis, photographer Kay Rufai, and multidisciplinary artist and designer Patu Araújo.

A Global Summit with a Local Heart 

On 29 May, a one-day, free public Boys & Men Festival will take place across two major cultural venues to be announced in the coming weeks, with tickets available to book in March. In a programme led by WOW, the festival will bring together a diverse programme of art, performance, live music, pop-ups and crucial conversations around men, masculinities, and the futures we are shaping together. Alongside powerful public dialogues with artists, activists, thinkers and communities, it will question inherited ideas of masculinity and offer new and diverse portraits of manhood rooted in care, responsibility and connection. Combining global voices, favela-based leadership, humour, culture, faith, policy and protest, the festival is designed to ignite joy, accountability and collective energy.

The summit will conclude on 30 May with hundreds of experts from Brazil and around the world coming together to reflect on the conversations, learnings, and insights shared over the three days. They will convene for a high-level Thought Leader Forum, providing crucial snapshots on topics such as men's health and care, fatherhood, masculinities and more. 

A Movement Beyond the Summit

The MenCare Changemaker Summit in Rio is made possible by the coming together of two renowned thought leaders, Gary Barker, President and CEO of Equimundo and Jude Kelly, the trailblazing theatre director and Founder Director of WOW - Women of the World.

Gary Barker, Founder and CEO of Equimundo says, “There is a global attention to what’s up with men and boys – and how it relates to the unfinished journey to full equality for women and girls.  In this crucial moment when there is backlash to gender equality, the summit and changemaker journey are focused on solutions. Activists, policymakers and artists are all essential for this, inspiring us to the changes we all need to see.”

Jude Kelly, Founder Director of WOW - Women of the World says, "WOW has always believed in the importance of ensuring that men and boys are a key part of all conversations about gender equality, and inviting them to be part of the solutions. Now more than ever it's critical we all come together to achieve  change. The first ever MenCare Changemakers Summit is an important step in the journey towards equality, and WOW is proud to be working in partnership with Equimundo to convene this incredible group of MenCare Changemakers. We're thrilled a public festival will take place as part of the four day programme – welcoming thousands more to explore a better world together."

Find out more about the MenCare Changemaker journey here.