Supporting Ditch the Label: An £8,500 Grant to Bring Conversations About Masculinity Into Schools
November 6, 2026
What messages are boys hearing online about what it means to be a man? And where can they go to talk about them? These are the questions behind a new schools project from Ditch the Label, which Focus Foundation is supporting with an £8,500 grant.
Heidi, Alix and Charlotte, recently visited the charity’s offices in central Brighton to present the grant cheque and meet Dominic, CEO, and Lucy, Head of Partnerships. Alongside hearing how the new lessons are taking shape, we talked about the team’s latest research, the impact of AI on young people’s lives and how the charity is responding as the online world changes.
Meeting young people where they already look for help
Ditch the Label began as a MySpace community in 2006. Today, the charity supports 12 to 25 year olds facing challenges such as bullying, mental health difficulties, identity-based discrimination and online harm. Young people can get free, confidential advice from trained mentors or find practical resources on everything from relationships to identity and self-expression.
Young people also help shape the charity’s work. Their experiences inform the questions Ditch the Label asks in its research, the support it offers and the resources it takes into schools. That approach is shaping the new module too.
Bringing conversations about masculinity into the classroom
Our £8,500 grant will help Ditch the Label develop and deliver a five-lesson Masculinity Education Module as part of its wider schools programme. The lessons will explore the influence of the manosphere, a collection of online communities and influencers that discuss men and masculinity. Some promote misogyny and rigid ideas about how boys and men should behave.
When boys repeatedly hear that showing emotion is a sign of weakness, it can be harder to speak up when they’re struggling. The lessons will give pupils space to question the messages they encounter online, recognise manipulative or misogynistic content and explore what makes someone a positive role model. They’ll also talk about healthy relationships, how to express what they’re feeling and where to turn if they need support.
The grant will fund lesson plans and classroom resources, as well as sessions led by a mental health professional who previously worked as a teacher. Ditch the Label aims to reach around 10,000 students across 20 pilot schools in the first year. Free downloadable packs will help more teachers bring the conversations into their own classrooms.
From first drafts to school pilots
The team has already drafted three of the five lessons, covering masculinity, online influencers and the manosphere, and healthy role models. They’re drawing on research into young people’s attitudes and how social media algorithms can surface misogynistic content. The charity’s Youth Advisory Board and a young trustee will help shape the material, and secondary school teachers will be invited to give feedback on the first draft.
Ditch the Label aims to complete the module by March 2027, with school pilots and a wider rollout through its Digital Ambassadors and downloadable packs planned before July 2027. Surveys before and after the sessions will help the team understand what pupils have learned and whether they feel more able to talk about their emotions or ask for help.
Making space for honest conversations
We left Ditch the Label’s Brighton office with a better understanding of what young people are navigating online and how much thought goes into creating support they can trust. It was a pleasure to spend time with Lucy and Dominic, hear about the charity’s research and get a glimpse of how the new lessons are taking shape.
We’re proud to support the Masculinity Education Module and look forward to seeing how it opens up conversations in classrooms about the messages boys encounter online, the role models they look up to and where they can turn when they need help.
To learn more about the charity’s work, explore its free resources for young people or find out how you can support it, visit the Ditch the Label website.
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