Jeff Perera

Jeff Perera

ON, CANADA
Speaker and Writer on Healthy Manhood and Masculinities

In a time of divides and tension, it is time to build bridges of understanding across our oceans of difference. We need to inspire Men in an engaging way to 'Be The Lesson in Action' and strive to become models of possibility for other men.

Jeff is a speaker, writer and facilitator, who since 2008 has delivered keynotes, talks and workshops for tens of thousands of people across North America and beyond about healthy vs harmful ideas of manhood, race and gender, masculinity, empathy-building, and men helping end gender-based violence. Whether in the boardroom, on campus, or the locker room, we need more examples of positive ways to be a man today.

He delivers interactive talks for team leaders and groups within various organizations, conferences and community spaces, as well as grade school, high school, college and university students. Jeff discusses how society's unattainable and harmful ideas of masculinity impact people of all genders, as well as ways forward and positive maps to manhood. 

Jeff started Higher Unlearning as an online space to explore how ideas of gender and masculinity impact us in everyday life.  You can read his written pieces, listen to podcasts and read interviews feathrung Jeff there. Jeff contributes articles to Huffington Post and has delivered two TEDx talks on Masculinity and men's troubled pursuits of identity: Words Speak Louder Than Actions looking at the power of gendered words, and The Ladder of Manhood which explores the male pursuit of identity and how too many men are fluent in a language of violence.

Jeff previously worked at the White Ribbon Campaign and with Next Gen Men, has organized dozens upon dozens of gender/masculinity-related events, founded and curated the first four 'What Makes a Man' discussion-focused conferences, and was event director for the first TEDxWomen event in Toronto, Canada. He was named to Racism Free Ontario's Top 100 Person of Colour list spotlighting anti-racism activists.

Together let's discuss Healthy vs Harmful Masculinities, 'Men Building Empathy Muscles', 'Mindful Manhood', or 'Men Striving to Be an Ally!' Together, we can create brave spaces for real discussion, and inspire people to challenge our gendered ideas of success and failure.

"What I learned from Jeff Perera tonight is that we're all human. We're all trying to break through the fear and just be our authentic self. I guess I never really thought about it from the male perspective. We're all aware of the struggles women face in the media and in society etc but we don't we take the same amount of time to understand the affects on boys and men. And when you DO take the time you realize it's huge. The messages are EVERYWHERE telling boys & men to hide their vulnerability & PROVE their "masculinity". I'm honestly pretty humbled and enlightened." - Stephanie Mulhall, Kindness Changes Everything

In a time of divides and tension, it is time to build bridges of understanding across our oceans of difference. We need to inspire Men in an engaging way to 'Be The Lesson in Action' and strive to become models of possibility for other men.

Jeff is a speaker, writer and facilitator, who since 2008 has delivered keynotes, talks and workshops for tens of thousands of people across North America and beyond about healthy vs harmful ideas of manhood, race and gender, masculinity, empathy-building, and men helping end gender-based violence. Whether in the boardroom, on campus, or the locker room, we need more examples of positive ways to be a man today.

He delivers interactive talks for team leaders and groups within various organizations, conferences and community spaces, as well as grade school, high school, college and university students. Jeff discusses how society's unattainable and harmful ideas of masculinity impact people of all genders, as well as ways forward and positive maps to manhood. 

Jeff started Higher Unlearning as an online space to explore how ideas of gender and masculinity impact us in everyday life.  You can read his written pieces, listen to podcasts and read interviews feathrung Jeff there. Jeff contributes articles to Huffington Post and has delivered two TEDx talks on Masculinity and men's troubled pursuits of identity: Words Speak Louder Than Actions looking at the power of gendered words, and The Ladder of Manhood which explores the male pursuit of identity and how too many men are fluent in a language of violence.

Jeff previously worked at the White Ribbon Campaign and with Next Gen Men, has organized dozens upon dozens of gender/masculinity-related events, founded and curated the first four 'What Makes a Man' discussion-focused conferences, and was event director for the first TEDxWomen event in Toronto, Canada. He was named to Racism Free Ontario's Top 100 Person of Colour list spotlighting anti-racism activists.

Together let's discuss Healthy vs Harmful Masculinities, 'Men Building Empathy Muscles', 'Mindful Manhood', or 'Men Striving to Be an Ally!' Together, we can create brave spaces for real discussion, and inspire people to challenge our gendered ideas of success and failure.

"What I learned from Jeff Perera tonight is that we're all human. We're all trying to break through the fear and just be our authentic self. I guess I never really thought about it from the male perspective. We're all aware of the struggles women face in the media and in society etc but we don't we take the same amount of time to understand the affects on boys and men. And when you DO take the time you realize it's huge. The messages are EVERYWHERE telling boys & men to hide their vulnerability & PROVE their "masculinity". I'm honestly pretty humbled and enlightened." - Stephanie Mulhall, Kindness Changes Everything

Drawing Maps to Manhood

More than ever, people today are having conversations about our ideas of, and ideals for manhood. The reality is there are few models of possibility in many of our lives as men and young men, men we can talk with or give us an example of what our own unique journey of manhood could look like. Jeff Perera invites us to discuss ways forward for men where we work, live, play and study. Jeff has worked for over ten years to inspire transformative everyday conversations about what positive and...
Gender IssuesEducational / InformativeInspirational / Life-changing

Men Coping with Social Distancing and Isolation

Jeff wrote 'MEN COPING WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING AND ISOLATION' (up at HigherUnlearning.com) for men to develop 'emotional immunity' and cope with the motions and emotions of social isolation during the COVID19 pandemic in healthy versus harmful ways towards women and children we are in isolation with. Bring Jeff to discuss why it's important to 'avoid the virus but not our feels'.
Gender IssuesEducational / InformativeInspirational / Life-changing

Striving to Be An Ally

Now is the time to build bridges of understanding across oceans of difference experiences when it comes to the conversation of Race. How can we work together to champion societal change, and further inclusive spaces where we work, live, study, and play? Through an engaging presentation, personal stories and discussion, Jeff Perera invites us to sit with the hard conversations about realities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in Canada and beyond, and to move...
Educational / InformativeInspirational / Life-changing

The Ladder of Manhood

A talk where Jeff illustrates how the rituals and path we set for men and boys to achieve manhood are like a ladder we climb which is rigged to fail us all. He challenges us to rethink harmful ideas that blaze the trail in our self-defeating pursuit of identity as men. What are the traditions handed down here? What do you want them to be? Where are you on this ladder based on various aspects of your identity? Jeff explores how all this reinforces a certain definition of manhood that...
Educational / InformativeInspirational / Life-changing