Holding Space, Not Control: A New Conversation with Young Men About Power
- Ghaith Krayem
- Jun 27
- 1 min read
Despite decades of prevention efforts, violence perpetrated by men, particularly against women, remains stubbornly persistent. While existing frameworks have successfully highlighted gender inequality, entitlement, and rigid social norms as key drivers, many young men continue to feel alienated by the way these conversations are framed.
This article introduces Reconfiguring Gravity as a new conceptual tool for prevention work with boys and young men. Rather than beginning with gender, it starts with power: how it is felt, how it pulls, and how it shapes behaviour long before harm occurs. Drawing on direct experience in prevention settings, the piece explores two key dynamics: the pressure to conform or dominate, and the practice of ethical repositioning, shifting one’s stance without resorting to control.
By reframing prevention through a relational and spatial lens, the article offers a respectful, practical invitation to young men: to hold space rather than collapse it, to move with awareness rather than by force, and to recognise that power is not just something they inherit but something they can choose to hold differently.
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