Testimonials: Boys Response to Catalyst

“Beautiful. Made me proud to be a man and happy to have so many brothers.”
“Brilliant! Wow. Had more practical effect on improving my behaviour in relationships, in self-esteem, self-awareness, and emotional well-being than anything else in the program. The workshop was superb and I pity anyone who does not have the opportunity to do it.”
“The whole 'brotherhood' aspect was wonderful and that song David taught us will stay will me forever.”
“Really opened up my eyes to the difficulties that males have to deal with in their lives.”
“This was amazing because we were able to be so open.”
“I felt so empowered afterwards. I loved the issues and how it was presented. Amazing. 11 out of 10.”
“It was awesome to talk and know that other guys went through the same things. Singing was almost spiritual.”
"I'm pretty sure David can fly."
~Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership, ages 14-21, Victoria

“I began and will continue to realize that no matter how open minded I am, I’m still influenced by an underlying societal judgment that I fear. I really enjoyed this contribution to a minimalized subject area in our society.”
“It was very interesting. Being able to be a guy and not get in shit for it.”
“Many skills on being confident which kind of sounds like a sissy thing to say but after the workshop, not really.“
“Good, reassuring, fun, intense. Self understanding, more confidence, more emotional understanding.”
“Being assertive, holding your space, staring (eye contact) can defuse some situations.”
“Learning what a girl would want relationship-wise.”
“I was able to figure out what makes me tick in a relationship.”
“I got more understanding of social issues.”
~ Saltspring Island, Grade 10

“…greatly benefiting the future of relationships in this school.”
“The best part was the deconstruction of conflict and principles of dealing high stress situations.”
“I got a couple things off my chest that were bothering me.”
“I got a sense of other people’s vulnerabilities, and how similar they are to my own.”
“I learned about other people’s perspectives on stuff that we don’t talk about very much.”
~ Toronto, Grade 11-12, Alternate Secondary

“This is a great program for teenage boys learning about what’s coming next in their lives. I think it’s a good thing to have an all-guy talk about masculinity. It’s a good place to learn about taking care of yourself.”
“Just the fact that we got to be part of it instead of just being lectured at was cool.”
“A new perspective of the male gender. This is a unique program and I think there should be more of it.”
“Well one thing I learned, that it’s okay to be smart and not very strong.”
“It’s kind of good to discover things that are in me, that I’ve never discovered emotionally.”
~ Vancouver, Grade 10

“It showed me what to do in a bad situation. It was the best day of school ever.”
“A viewing of what [assertiveness] means.”
“A better understanding of relationships.”
“I got out of this how to stand up for myself.”
“That racism and teasing your friends is not good.”
~ Kelowna, Grade 7 and 8

“I learned the best way to defend myself from bullies.”
“Courage, high self-esteem, knowledge, and learned lots.”
“I learned some ways to talk to girls.”
“I got how to be assertive and I got confidence.”
~ Saltspring Island, Grade 8

“It’s okay to be yourself and to be honest. You don’t need to be feared to be respected.”
“How to treat a girlfriend.”
~ Coquitlam, Grades 10-12, SUCCESS Program for immigrant students

“I learned that you should talk to women before doing [sexual] stuff.”
“Not being afraid, and you can do more than you think in bad or desperate situations.”
“I got so much out of it, mostly to be outgoing and to be honest.”
“I learned how to interact better under pressure.”
“I learned a lot about life and how to prepare.”
“Awesome, exciting, not boring, eventful.”
~ Calgary, Grade 9