We meet youth where they are.
Imagine your go-to hangout spot when you were a young teenager. You know, that one friend’s basement, or the cheap pizza place downtown.
You already know how much it matters for young people to have a place where they belong. As a parent, helping your child find positive environments and supportive friends is likely one of the things you think about most.
NGM Alliance a safe online space for masculine-identifying youth in Grades 7-9 to build connections with like-minded peers. Since 2020, we’ve created an active youth community where boys’ mental wellness, anti-bullying and peer support are the norm.
Just like that pizza place was more than a hangout spot, the NGM Alliance is more than an online group. It’s a place where real connections are made, and where youth feel truly known and understood on a deeper level.
By prioritizing relationships, we create an environment where real connections happen. That’s where true growth takes place.
Toxic video gaming culture stops where we start.
If you’re raising a young teenage boy, you likely know how much time he’s spending on video games. You might be worried about screen time or online toxicity.
You should know that video games are almost always a social activity among boys. 91% of video-gaming boys play with others rather than alone. Boys are more likely than girls to voice call while gaming, and to feel a sense of connection while they play.
We’ve seen that firsthand.
Discord is a popular, safe and accessible platform for young people to connect with each other. Our private server has become a leader among youth-serving nonprofits and the home base for a network that stretches across Canada. Participants use the server every day to hang out, share what’s going on in their lives, and join weekly events.
It’s by youth, for youth.
Youth participants sent more than 190,000 messages during the 2023-2024 school year.
The most popular games include Minecraft, Fortnite, Valorant and Dungeons & Dragons.
Youth spend an average of 68 collective hours on voice channels each week.
Since we started, there have been zero incidents of cyberbullying or online exploitation.
A strategy for gender-based violence prevention.
In a time when toxic masculinity and the risk of radicalization seems to define boys’ experiences online, NGM Alliance is proof that a positive path forward is possible.
Since 2020, our community has centred connection and friendship, becoming a place where youth feel comfortable sharing everything from homework questions to their struggles with mental health. Relationships are at the heart of what we do because we know real change happens in connection with others.
We’re proud to be working with Women and Gender Equality Canada to evaluate this project as a promising practice in which healthy online community fosters belonging and connection, and mobilizes boys as allies to prevent gender-based violence.
Guided by our Youth Advisory Council.
FAQ
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All youth who identify as male or nonbinary in Grades 7-9. Next Gen Men programs are open and inclusive of 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
Please note that while we primarily onboard youth in Grades 7-9, we also welcome participants from Grades 10-12 who have been with us since the server’s inception four years ago. These older members serve as trailblazers and leaders within our community. As our server expands and our youth mature, we remain dedicated to establishing sustainable systems that extend opportunities for friendships and connection beyond our server.
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The Discord server is facilitated and moderated by three Next Gen Men youth staff team: Jonathon Reed, our Youth Program Manager (BA, BEd, MEd); Stephanie Wright, our Youth Program Lead (BSc); and our Youth Program Coordinator (currently pursuing a BSW). All staff working with Next Gen Men youth programs undergo a vulnerable sector screening.
All participants on the Discord server are screened with a phone or video call before they are given access in order to ensure that it continues to be a safe place for our young people. We are fully committed to the safety of all youth and facilitators on the server, and maintain multiple safety policies to uphold this commitment, detailed below:
Direct messaging safeguards: Our youth team practices proactive password sharing among themselves.
Confidential youth reporting system: Youth can anonymously report concerns or issues directly to Next Gen Men’s Executive Director via a server-accessible form.
Reporting hierarchy: Our youth team regularly communicates with each other about red flags and have been trained in policies and procedures related to confidentiality and reporting.
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Completely. One of our highest priorities is supporting youth now and into the future, and we try to ensure that our programs are as accessible as possible. NGM Alliance is sustained by folks who have become Next Gen Menbers—if you have the means, please join us.
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We support schools in implementing programs with youth on topics like gender stereotypes, mental health and healthy relationships. At first glance it’s stuff that guys don’t normally talk about, but every group we’ve been with has been interested in the topics and the way we present them.
We’ve been evaluating our youth programming for as long as it’s existed, and we’ve been a frontrunner in adapting to virtual programming since school cancellations began in the spring of 2020.
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We understand the concern, which is why we make sure our time online revolves around positive social interaction—things like Minecraft, Dungeons & Dragons and meaningful activities built from the Next Gen Men youth program.
We only facilitate a few times a week, and the fact that we’re on Discord means that youth can drop in and drop out when it works for them.
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Get a best friend to join too—we’ve had boys join in pairs before and that’s been a cool way for them to connect. No matter what, we regularly create opportunities for participants to get to know each other. We’ve seen boys become best friends while 600 kilometres apart.
