For 15 years, WiseGuyz has been offering young men the tools and skills to engage in healthy relationships, strengthen social connections and cope with negative emotions. Demand for the program has grown since its inception in 2010, both inside and outside of school settings. To meet this demand, Centre for Sexuality has expanded the reach of the program outside schools and across Canada.
WiseGuyz is the only gender-specific, evidence-informed and comprehensive program of its kind in Canada. It was created by the Centre for Sexuality in 2010 to address a significant need for a sexual health program designed specifically for boys. While traditional sexual health education offers vital information on disease and pregnancy prevention, it doesn’t offer boys and young men the chance to discuss and reflect on social norms, gender roles and media stereotypes. WiseGuyz was created to go beyond traditional sex ed, offering a safe and constructive space for guys to just talk about what it’s like to be a guy.
The Impact of WiseGuyz
Based on research collected from over 800 WiseGuyz participants, WiseGuyz has a positive impact in many areas of life, including:
- Feeling more comfortable with their emotions.
- Embracing progressive male norms.
- Having more confidence in maintaining healthy relationships.
- Feeling more comfortable making social connections.
- Better coping skills for negative emotions.
- A decrease in homophobic attitudes.
- An increase in attitude about their own sexual health knowledge and abilities.
The data shows the program works. This led the Centre to look for ways to give even more boys and young men access to this transformative learning experience.
Beyond Schools: Scaling WiseGuyz to Reach More Young Men
“In my experience, all youth who finish the program state they enjoy the sessions and do not want them to end.”
Research on the impact of WiseGuyz showed us that the program has the potential to create positive change beyond schools, which is why we have been expanding its reach since 2018 through community-based offerings and scaling sites like youth justice settings.
“Youth often come into their first session uninterested and skeptical,” says Bill, a WiseGuyz Facilitator. “This is why it is important to create a safe and open environment through having real conversations and leading without judgment. In my experience, all youth who finish the program state they enjoy the sessions and do not want them to end.”
As of 2025, the Centre has partnered with 31 sites to offer WiseGuyz, including schools, community agencies and youth justice sites, and we’re in the process of partnering with even more to share evidence-informed programming across the country. The Centre has developed adapted programming for settings that cannot accommodate our core 20-session program. Locally in Calgary, a WiseGuyz community program is currently running at the Trellis Bowness Hub; it is completely free, takes place after school hours and welcomes guys aged 14-17.
Interested in Offering WiseGuyz?
The Centre is looking to bring the benefits of WiseGuyz to even more young men across Canada. If you are part of an organization that work with the WiseGuyz demographic and want more information, please reach out to us.
Our team works closely with scaling sites during planning, training and implementation. We provide the knowledge and skills for facilitators to deliver the program, as well as ongoing coaching and support to ensure that facilitators are well-prepared and participants get the intended benefits of this transformative program.