Resources: Boys and Young Men

Books & Articles:

Access these recommended books, services, videos, programs, and website links by category:

• Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph
• The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal Iggulden
• Real Boys' Voices by William Pollack, PhD. and Todd Shuster
• Fatherless Sons by Rex McCann
• Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Michael Thompson and Dan Kindlon.
• Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter by Gordon Neufeld Ph.D., and Gabor Mate M.D.
• Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them by James Garbarino, Ph.D.
• Boys into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons by Boyd-Franklin, Nancy, & Franklin, A.J., with Toussaint, Pamela A., Dutton, 2000.
• Multiple Masculinities and the Schooling of Boys by Wesley D. Imms, Canadian Journal of Education 25, 2 (2000): 152 - 165
• Five Powerful Strategies for Connecting Boys to Schools Paper for White House Conference on Helping America's Youth by Judith Kleinfield, 2006.
  www.singlesexschools.org/Kleinfeld.htm

DVD:

Riding Giants 2004 PG-13 A great documentary film, highly engaging for boys, chronicaling the history of big wave surfing in Hawaii and California. The action is literally life and death, the visuals are huge and beautiful, and the stories of various surfers are highly compelling.  Peaceful, reverential and daring, these male athletes embody a stellar role modelling of grounded and thrilling masculinity.  It's a great conversation starter about masculinity.

Anybody's Son Will Do with Gywnn Dyer, (1985). This documentary film explores military basic training techniques on new male recruits. It's a provocative look through the military "warrior" lens on male youth psyche.  Boys and young men will have lots to say about it.  The entire script can be found at: http://chat.wcc.cc.il.us/~kwestman/Anybodys_Son.htm

McCreary Centre Society:

The McCreary Centre Society is a small non-profit organization concerned with the health of young people in B.C. Their mission is to foster wider understanding of the importance of youth health, increase knowledge about youth health needs and issues, promote a continuing commitment to youth health issues, and initiate and implement innovative projects which directly address unmet health needs of youth.

Our Community Bikes - Vancouver:

The Earn-A-Bike program runs all year round. Participants build and keep their own free bicycle, (and get a helmet too), thus increasing their mobility, independence, and employability.  While priority is given to youth (12-18) who would not otherwise have a chance to own a bike, everyone with an interest in mechanics or riding is encouraged to apply.

Literacy:

The gist of the advice from a panel of children's books authors at the Vancouver Public Library in 2005: If we want boys to engage in reading we must make sure that the storylines offered feature as their core the movement of objects through space. It can be people's bodies, spaceships, baseballs, or bullets, but movement is the hook that keeps young males readers interested. Pictures are good too!

Male specific literacy program: Dedicated to improving boy's literacy, encouraging men to step up their role-modeling as readers, sharing resources on book that boys like, and raising consciousness about gender depictions in literature.

Experiential, residential programs featuring
Rites of Passage hallmarks

Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership

This is a 3½ week residential leadership program with participants from all over the world. Focus is on social justice issues, developing one's own leadership style, and learning how to build community, all with the help of skilled mentors and facilitators at Pearson United World College, on Vancouver Island. Contact Ruth Whyte at: rwhyte@pearsoncollege.ca

Naramata Centre - Winter Session

Winter Session is a 13 week opportunity for people aged 18-25 to spend time exploring the values and spirit that give life focus and foundation. Join other young adults for a time away for learning about self, about building healthy relationships, about living with integrity, about your spiritual life.

Power of Hope

Their mission statement: The Power of Hope unleashes the positive potential of youth through arts-centered intergenerational and multicultural gatherings that value self-awareness, leadership, community, and social change. Power of Hope programs run in Canada and the United States.