Specializing in the design and delivery of transformative, experiential education.
Engaging and Mentoring Boys and Young Men
Professional Development for: educators, youth program workers, social service and health-care providers, corrections workers, counsellors, parents and others working with male youth.
Are you seeing the challenges boys face? The seductions and distractions of the internet, declining engagement with school, hyper-sexualized pop culture, lack of positive male role models, and the absence of grounded rites of passage processes all combine to leave boys vulnerable. The current story of boys is well documented. Too often it is one of declining school performance and social responsibility, awkwardness in relationships, low ability to communicate, high risk for violence and drug use, and poor emotional health. This course supports those working with male youth to more effectively create safe, socially responsible schools, families, and communities where boys are happier, more positively engaged, and embodying their potentials.
Through this experiential and participatory program you will learn awarenesses, processes and techniques that have been proven highly effective through decades of development in diverse settings: public and private schools, First Nation reserves, prisons, international populations, even through language translators in Europe and China.
We will explore what mentorship is and how it differs from common ideas of teaching and counselling. Learn about your potential to provide mentorship and how it can be navigated in personal and professional contexts.
We will deepen our understanding about the dynamics of male youth culture and some of the effects of both biology and socialization on young males. As part of creating positive socialization for young males, we will examine hallmarks of rites of passage experiences and the necessity for them. We’ll also explore how social expectations about masculinity drive conflict and the escalation towards violence, and how to teach boys how to hold power assertively and non-violently.
Time will be provided to integrate the course content with regard to participants’ existing personal and professional relationships with male youth. We will share our own resources, practices and questions in our work to support healthy and positive models of male identity, and create new practices to utilize in our work and personal contexts.
Recommended group size: up to 40 participants. Format: 65 % Interactive/ Experiential - 35% Presentation This training can also be offered for a male educator only group. Length: 1 to 3 day versions are available. Requirements: Room for participants to sit in a circle, whiteboard and markers.
Client list:
BC Alternate Education Conference
BC School District #8, 22, 36, 39, 42, 43, 87
BC Provincial Youth Workers
Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver
Child Abuse Prevention Services Hauraki - New Zealand
