We Got Next Gen
© Next Gen Men 2019
By Jonathon Reed
Growing up is hard.
Kids on the cusp of high school have to deal with new bodies and new feelings, new expectations from family and new pressures from social circles that are suddenly way more intense.
Those years are hard because they’re important.
For boys in Grade 7 and 8, it’s a time in their social development when the question of ‘what does it mean to be a man’ really starts coming into focus.
Make no mistake, they’ve been learning about and adapting to ideas about manhood all their lives. Alongside their peers, boys navigate pressures to be tough, to act a certain way, to dress a certain way. Even from a young age, there are consequences for those who fail to live up to these social expectations.
But as boys grow into teens, issues like violence, mental health, suicide, homophobia, and growing disconnection from other boys reveal how serious those consequences can be. We know that four in 10 high school boys have experienced some form of physical assault, and that a quarter of Canada’s Grade 7 and 8 boys often feel lonely or left out. We know that, last year, suicide was the leading cause of death for teenage boys in this country.
Statistics like these are part of the origin story for Next Gen Men’s youth program.
As the coordinator and facilitator behind the program, I see the impact of our work firsthand, and how meaningful it is for 12- and 13-year-old boys to have a space to explore things like mental health and deepen their relationships.
I see them lean in during thought-provoking discussions, and I hear the ways they apply the program to the rest of their lives. Within the space we create for them, boys share gratitude and positivity with each other, and they feel the impact that such a simple—but powerful—change can make.
Our youth program has always been about meeting boys where they’re at. Right now that’s at home.
In the midst of COVID-19, young people are having their lives disrupted and their routines thrown out of balance. They are isolated from their friends and experiencing new challenges in mental health.
That’s where our program comes in. We’re helping these boys hold onto the social connections they need—and to stay connected to themselves as well.
We challenge the narratives that weigh on so many boys and young men by exploring gender stereotypes. For some of them, it’s their first time having a frank discussion on the subject, and it’s eye-opening.
In our conversations about mental health, we explore alternatives to the ‘toughen up’ messages they’re used to. We talk about healthy relationships, what makes and what breaks them, and we normalize boys’ deeply felt desires to be known and supported by the people around them.
Boys need these opportunities, perhaps now more than ever.
Written by Next Gen Men Program Manager Jonathon Reed as part of the online youth program we’re running in the midst of COVID-19. Click here to learn more.