Boys Will Be…
For the first time since before the pandemic hit, boys will be going back to school.
But how will they be going back? Anxious? Scared? Grateful? Relieved?
Despite all of us experiencing COVID-19 disruptions, we have definitely not experienced them the same way. It’s the same storm, different boats metaphor you might have heard throughout the pandemic.
Some boys had familial and technological support at home as they adjusted to a virtual school year. Others had to fight for the wifi signal and for attention while their families tried to stay afloat.
It is these disparities and continuing uncertainties that will add fuel to the potent mix that makes up adolescents’ mental wellbeing when they come back together at school.
For too long people have written off boys’ violence, aggression, domineering, and distraction as ‘boys will be boys’ and shrugged their shoulders. Are we going to continue this pattern as boys come together in September?
Boys can be more than just what they shouldn’t be.
That’s been our modus operandi at Next Gen Men over the past seven years, even more so during the pandemic, and it’s what we want to help you give your boy.
At the start of the pandemic, we dropped Cards for Masculinity, our first-ever physical tool to spark conversations around boys’ sense of self, health, peers, culture, and relationships.
Since then, we’ve sold over 1,500 decks(!!!) to folks in all four corners of the world, playing a small role in people reconnecting with big conversations that have been waiting to happen.
In the lead up to school, we’ve had enough people ask us: “What are the signs of toxic masculinity?” “Why are boys underachieving in school?” or “How do we do a better job of teaching our boys?”
Rather than asking us questions, we should be asking the boys:
“How is being _____ important to your values?”
“How has being _____ strengthened your relationships?”
Or any other question that helps them understand that they have whatever they need within themselves to be the people they want to be
When we support boys’ emotional regulation by simply encouraging their exploration and walking alongside them in their journey, the results are staggering.
Boys with emotional regulation skills such as self-reflection, conflict resolution, and relationship building have been significantly more likely to have better mental health through the pandemic.
Boys will be what we give them the space to be.
That’s why we’re proud to announce the launch of our new Boys Will Be _ card deck featuring eight prompts and 42 affirmations boys need to hear.
Affirmations that encourage their curiosity, celebrate their bravery, remind them of their empathy, and instill a sense of fairness—among many more positive attributes boys have within them.
As boys go back to school, let's give them space to be themselves and not pin them into the narrative of ‘boys will be boys.’
That’s so pre-pandemic.