About Man Made

Man with a beard wearing a green button up and black jeans standing against a concrete wall with arms folded across his chest.

Who We Are

Nick Sandor (BSW, MA) is both the program developer and facilitator of Man Made. He was employed by Island Sexual Health Society in 2016, where he works doing program development and community education. Nick’s professional experience includes social work, youth support work, and both anti-violence and sexual health education. He is passionate about hearing the perspectives and experiences from diverse community members as an opportunity to encourage gender affirming practices through an anti-oppressive and strength-based lens. Nick’s goal is to help masculine identifying folks to strengthen their relationships with both other people and themselves.

Building a foundation of trust

Asking a young male to open up about his feelings is often akin to asking him to have a tooth pulled out. So, creating such a forum requires building a foundation of trust under a given group, so young men feel they are standing together on something solid. Man Made, under the guidance of facilitator Nick Sandor, did achieve this result in a rather remarkable way, as youth who were previously unfocused and distracted seemed to really ground themselves in the group, and find the strength of their voices through shared stories.
Threshold Housing Society

Who We Work With

Really anyone who is interested in having a conversation about gender equity and healthy relationships!

  • SCHOOLS
  • BUSINESSES AND WORKPLACES
  • ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
  • GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
  • COMMUNITY GROUPS
  • COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

Vital to the healthy development of social/emotional intelligence

This program is vital to the healthy development of social/emotional intelligence for boys in a world where we are now being encouraged to challenge and explore the meaning of the word gender and how it affects us on a day to day basis.
Vic West Elementary

Our Community

From 2016 to 2018 Man Made has worked with almost 2000 community members including:

  • Monterey Middle School
  • Claremont Secondary School
  • St. Michael’s University School
  • Victoria High School
  • Victoria West Elementary
  • Stelly’s Secondary School ‘
  • ReImagining Masculinities Conference
  • Tapestry Conference
  • Saanichton Learning Centre
  • Broadmead Individual Learning
  • Belmont Secondary School
  • Parkland Secondary School
  • Craigflower Elementary
  • Men’scapes Conference
  • Gulf Island Secondary School Wellness Summit
  • Threshold Housing

Better decisions

Young men should get educated about masculinity, so that they make better decisions in their everyday life.
Workshop Participant

Opened up a door

Guys rarely think or talk about gender and it can be awkward to talk about. Man Made opened up a door to have these conversations.
Workshop Participant