A mentoring program in Tucson is using talking circles, adventure outings and overnight camping trips to help young men develop positive and healthy relationships. Full story
The Boys to Men Mentoring Network, founded 27 years ago in La Mesa, California, has grown to cities in 11 states, including three in Arizona, and internationally. Its mission is to strengthen communities by nurturing intentional spaces for boys and men to practice honest and mindful relationships. The goal is to give every boy in middle and high school access to safe and trusted men.
Boys to Men Tucson has weekly talking circle support groups in 20 middle and high schools throughout southern Arizona. Karina Valle, interim chief executive officer and director of development, said 16 more schools are on a waiting list to start groups. A community based group meets at 4 p.m. every Monday at Goodwill Community Circle, 1920 E. Silverlake Road in Tucson.
In May, Boys to Men Tucson was one of three Arizona nonprofits awarded $100,000 each in the Common Good Challenge, a philanthropic competition meant to fund solutions to complex community issues. Valle said the money will go toward its Healthy Intergenerational Masculinity Initiative, which will address how boys are raised and how that upbringing contributes to gender-based violence, an achievement gap, school shootings, addiction and untreated mental health issues.
The organization says young men thrive on its core values of accountability, community, growth, equity, healthy masculinity and fun. In addition to talking circles, individual school and community groups schedule monthly adventure outings such as rock climbing, hiking, ropes courses, bowling or visiting the zoo and camping weekends three times a year.
“You would think – just from on paper – that it’s going to be like pulling teeth to get the youth to talk, to share and to be vulnerable, but that’s not the case,” he said. “A lot of the time, they just talk. A good circle is when I don’t say much and the youth are just having conversations about anything.”
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