Cooking is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal practices still preserved by humankind. It serves as a vessel for knowledge, culture, and identity. At the same time, cooking has often been tied to rigid gender norms that shape family roles and influence social roles expectations.
In the June 2025 K-Hub’s Lunch & Learn session, we heard from Danial Jamal (Social Work graduate), Youssef Elsabban (Haskayne School of Business student), and Abdelrahman Alramahi (University of Calgary Mechanical Engineering student), who shared insights from their community-based pilot initiative: The Doors We Hold Open: Cooking, Brotherhood, and Becoming Better Men.
About the Program?
Designed for Muslim men aged 18 to 24, this pilot program weaves together communal cooking and structures conversation. Grounded in a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach, each session combines hands-on shared culinary practice with guided discussions on topics such as masculinity, emotional intelligence, mental health, fatherhood, and community care.
Participants are invited to reflect on their lived experiences and reimagine traditional gender roles through the lens of their cultural and spiritual identities, family histories, and future aspirations. The sessions encouraged young men to examine how they relate to parents, siblings, and peers, while also envisioning what kind of fathers, husbands, and community members they want to become. Central to these reflections was the opportunity to critically explore expectations of masculinity and their effects on emotional expression, mental health, and interpersonal relationships.
As Jamal shared, building emotional safety and mutual trust early in the program was essential to supporting this level of introspection. The team was intentional in creating a space where participants felt respected, heard, and understood, allowing them to open up, share vulnerabilities, and build deeper connections.
One particularly powerful moment came when participants were asked, “How do you want to be like your dad?” Many responded by highlighting positive traits and reflecting on what they hoped to do differently with their children, signaling the program’s potential to support personal growth and intergenerational healing.
Why This Program?
Alramahi identified a critical gap that this initiative is designed to fill: young Muslim men often face the complex task of navigating their cultural and religious identities while balancing expectations from family, faith, and society, all while trying to care for their own well-being. These layered pressures are rarely reflected in mainstream youth programming.
What makes this program both needed and different is its approach. It uses cooking not just as a practical skill, but as a tool for connection, self-reflection, and healing. Through shared meals and guided conversations, participants are invited to explore masculinity, identity, and belonging in a culturally responsive and emotionally safe space.
As Alramahi emphasized, the heart of the program is openness. Rather than imposing change, it allows young men to explore new perspectives on their own terms. He cited a 2018 study in which 630 young men between the ages 15 and 29 responded to a survey on the evolving values of millennial men. The findings showed that 88% of participants agreed that “a man should be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new people” (Intensions Consulting, 2018)1. This program reflects that spirit, beginning with its very title, The Doors We Hold Open.
Research Framework
The project is guided by a Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) approach, integrating Islamic ethics and gender equity with culturally grounded, trauma-informed methodologies. The team collected pre- and post-program survey data, with findings analyzed thematically to assess impact.
Early Outcomes
Elsabban shared several anticipated outcomes for participants, including:
- Improved emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
- Positive shifts in attitudes and behaviors related to masculine norms?
- Stronger peer and community connections through shared experiences and structured dialogue
- Contribution to broader social innovation and culturally relevant programming.
What’s Next?
The team plans to run the next cohort between July and December 2025, with 10 new participants from the University of Calgary.
Looking ahead, Jamal outlined six strategic priorities for future vision and community partnership:
- Scale and adapt the successful pilot program
- Strengthen and sustain existing partnerships
- Build new collaborations with community stakeholders
- Pursue external funding opportunities
- Expand knowledge mobilization, including through creative outputs such as a cookbook
- Ensure long-term sustainability of the program
The Lunch & Learn series is a monthly virtual gathering hosted by the Newcomer Knowledge Hub. We provide informative presentations delivered by experts in the settlement sector. Whether you are a service provider, policymaker, student, or simply curious about the world of settlement, we invite you to join us at our next session by registering here.
1 Intensions Consulting. (2018, April 25). Intensions study: The new values of millennial men. Intensions Consulting. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from https://www.intensions.co/news/2018/4/25/intensions-study-the-new-values-of-millennial-men
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