We offer a specialised course, targeting a small group of S3 males. A unique experience for all involved.
Boys to Men will learn skills and knowledge in:
- Building resilience.
- Mental Wellbeing awareness for all.
- Violence prevention.
- Team-working and communication.
The Boys to Men group will benefit from a nurturing approach, their ability to develop their mental wellbeing, resilience and enhance their school experience – involving them more in the school and wider community.
Why? Research rationale
When looking at young people as a group (and not taking gender into account), recent studies suggest that increasing age is associated with poorer metal health and wellbeing in young people.
More specifically, studies have indicated that, among young people, with increasing age:
• Mental wellbeing decreases (Brown et al. 2016) and mental health problems generally increase (Tod et al. 2013)
• There are decreases in the percentages who report happiness and high life satisfaction (Cosma et al. 2016a; Tod et al. 2013) and in levels of confidence (Cosma et al. 2016b).
The course
The Boys to Men candidates commence their course, for 1 period a week in October – June. The candidates can choose to be Advanced MVP Mentors or Boys to Men ambassadors afterwards.
They will be involved in P7 Induction, showing the new intake of pupils the DEHS way and expectations, they will be a positive example.
During the 1 period a week, learners will be in a specific safe space where they will get a weekly check-in, a little chat and then onto a task. Once a month, the learners will be visited by one of our “Good guys”.
The Good guys
The “good guys” are specially selected members of the local community with specific skills or experience that share with our Boys to Men group. The discuss their journey to where they are now and show their specific skill sets.
Candidate selection criteria Candidate selection is unique. This can be as simple as a member of school staff sees a specific skill set that hasn’t been recognised in the “normal” academic programmes, a family bereavement or a rising attendance issue. We involve all members of the school staff to nominate a young person for the Boys to Men group that will then be selected by the Boys to Men leading teachers for the course.
