How might we make the topic of "how to be a man" relevant, easy to approach, and community driven?
Better[MEN]t was back again this year, with the same mission of exploring what it means to be a young man in this world today. The team planned to tackle big issues such as gender roles and stereotypes, modeling vulnerability, and encouraging self-reflection. Team members started with having conversations about what it means to be a man in today’s society as well as hosting empathy interviews with men in their community.
After going through their empathy work, they decided to focus their efforts on creating a project working with junior high boys to help with establishing identity and healthy communication patterns. The team created a three-day camp for junior high boys to complete their Project Good experience. The camp featured numerous community-building activities, including video games, nerf wars, and capture the flag. Additionally, camp guides encouraged vulnerability among the participants by asking them to reconsider male stereotypes and what it means to be a man.
Fast Facts
Year(s): Fall 2020 - Summer 2021
Focus: Equipping young men for emotionally mature futures
Recipients: Young junior high-aged boys from our community
Community partner: N/A
Number of recipients: 13
Number of One Stone members involved in planning: 7
Number of weeks of planning: 30
How many hours it took to prepare for implementation: 5
How many hours it took to implement: 12
