Responding to Physical Violence Among Boys
© Next Gen Men 2019
By Jonathon Reed
Two weeks ago, a 14-year-old boy was stabbed and killed outside his school in Hamilton, Ontario. Last week, CBC published a series of articles representing an in-depth investigation into school violence in Canada. I immediately changed what I had prepared for this week’s Learnings & Unlearnings, but as I started writing I realized I had a lot to say. With that in mind, I want to point you to two articles.
First, the CBC article, ‘I thought he was dead’: CBC survey reveals 4 in 10 boys are physically assaulted at school. The article begins with the story of physical assault of a grade nine boy, then describes some unnerving findings about the frequency and severity of physical violence in schools, and how often they go unreported.
Second, the article I posted on Medium (and the soon-to-be-revealed Next Gen Men blog), The Thousand Cuts of Boyhood. I bring together a few different stories, sources of statistics and a call to action for educators to connect with boys and create microcosms of anti-violence within their schools.
And finally, welcome back to Learnings & Unlearnings. I’ve been having a very action-packed fall session, with many ideas and sources of information to share. I’m looking forward to reconnecting and continuing on this journey of engaging with the boys in our lives and classrooms more effectively. Stay tuned for more.
ICYMI This Week
Talking to your kids about mental health (Everyday Girl Dad)
Racists Are Recruiting. Watch Your White Sons. (The New York Times)
Boys in Alberta schools get assaulted, threatened, robbed and slurred more often than rest of Canada (CBC News)
Written by Next Gen Men Program Manager Jonathon Reed as part of Learnings & Unlearnings, a weekly newsletter reflecting on our experiences working with boys and young men. Subscribe to get Learnings & Unlearnings delivered to your email inbox.