Growing Up: Boyz-2-Men

Richard Pomfrett, Founder and Head Instructor of The Stay Safe Initiative, visited Leighton Park on Thursday 22^nd and Friday 23^rd May to deliver the Boyz-2-Men Programme for a selected group of Year 8 boys. Richard explained: “It’s a programme that’s designed to help boys think critically about manhood. It’s to help them understand and give them the freedom to think about what kind of men they want to be, allowing them in a safe way to challenge some of the stereotypes that unfortunately still exist surrounding masculinity and manhood. It allows them to think critically about the images and portrayals of masculinity they see on the internet, addressing and challenging some of the more toxic sides of images and portrayals they see of what it means to be a man.”

Sam (Year 8) found the experience a positive one: “I think it was quite eye-opening and it has really helped me understand what’s going on in other people’s minds. I get these thoughts but I put on a mask and it helped me, it opened by eyes because then I could see how everyone else was feeling.”

The group began their two-day workshop by concentrating on their own sense of self including their own emotions and insecurities, the pressures they feel from stereotypes and how to cope with these feelings. On the next day they moved on to the impact other people can have on them, especially online, and how to challenge that influence using critical thinking skills. They also considered banter, interaction with women and girls, active bystanding and role modelling.

Danny Clark, Leighton Park’s Wellbeing Advisor and workshop organiser, commented: “Over the last five to ten years, nationally, there has been a real focus on girls’ mental health, combatting gender stereotypes and providing opportunities, and rightly so, but the boys have perhaps been a little bit left behind. Boys’ mental health and wellbeing is so important, especially in today’s world with misogyny and Andrew Tate and that sort of stuff. We need to give boys a chance to talk. 76% of suicides in the UK are men but men and boys are the least likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, they just don’t open up about it. This programme with Richard is a really good base to develop our programme at Leighton Park that enables boys to feel safe talking, have group sessions where they open up with their friends, have their safe person. Anything you can do now for their mental health is so impactful for the rest of their lives. Giving them the tools early in life, those techniques to talk, breathing techniques, so that when it does happen, they know what to do, that’s really important”

Richard Pomfrett, who led the workshop, explained: “it’s a programme that’s designed to help boys think critically about manhood. It’s to help them understand and give them the freedom to think about what kind of men they want to be, allowing them in a safe way to challenge some of the stereotypes that unfortunately still exist surrounding masculinity and manhood. It allows them to think critically about the images and portrayals of masculinity they see on the internet, addressing and challenging some of the more toxic sides of images and portrayals they see of what it means to be a man online.”