The Journey to Manhood

For centuries, it was the task of the older men in a community to teach their boys and young men how to become a man. 

Somewhere along the way, men lost touch with their calling to steward the young men in their communities. As a result, men age into "Olders" rather than "Elders" missing a developmental opportunity for both the boy, the man and the community at large.   Without a community of men, our youth flounder alone, looking to their own forms of initiation- including the use of drugs and alcohol, gangs or a variety of unfulfilling alternatives to a supportive community of men.  

An African saying warns "If the elders do not initiate the boys, they will burn the village down."  

Without our youth, men can forget the aliveness that comes from a deep connection with youth; forgetting to tap into a wholeness that runs deep in our bones; the need to mentor and initiate the boys in our community.

A young man's life is often filled with uncertainty and fear. However, the young men in our Boys to Men community have access to emotionally literate men who have themselves committed to a path of self knowledge who make time for the boys as they walk their personal journey into manhood. With the help of adult men, a young man can become more conscious of his world...and of the tremendous potential that is awakening inside his being.

An older man's life will have layers of complexity, built up like an onion. As a result, some foundational beliefs are best undone, and there is no better resource for a reframe of this nature than walking down the road with a young man, or perhaps just listening, or throwing a ball, or driving in a car on the way to or from playing somewhere together...

It all neatly fits together into a system of wholeness, of learning and unlearning, of longing and gratification, of discovering and rediscovering this incredible journey into manhood.