Who facilitates Boys Council groups?

Boys Council, a gender-specific model, is designed as a male leadership program, with male leaders as role models for boys. It is our belief that boys need strong and active relationships with men as they develop into young manhood.

In our society, sports is the one common ground for boys and men to have direct interaction. However, outside of the sports world, a huge percentage of boys lack consistent adult male involvement in their daily lives. Ideally, two men co-facilitate Boys Council groups. Boys gain direct experience and relationships with positive male role models on a consistent basis. They see men work as a team, divide and share roles and responsibilities, disagree respectfully when conflicts arise, and show varied options for masculine behavior.

Practically, or in some cases an alternative system is a mixed gender team of a man and woman as co-facilitators. In this arrangement, especially when the facilitators practice an intentionally shared, balanced and healthy approach, boys gain exposure to a male-female team who can demonstrate positive gender relationships, share roles and responsibilities, and disagree respectfully and without stereotypical power and dominance behaviors.

Most school and community settings have far fewer men than women available as facilitators, counselors, and mentors. Therefore, many settings will rely on women to facilitate Boys Council groups. In this situation, we encourage programs to promote positive male influence through guest visitors such as fathers or older brothers, teachers or coaches, etc, or to provide video, music, readings or stories from men. However, we know of many skilled and caring female facilitators who have led extremely positive groups with young men and boys.

In addition, facilitators’ commonalities to youth in culture, ethnicity, languages, and/or experience are strong boosters to this model where possible.

How do you motivate boys to join a strengths-based group program like Boys Council?

If boys are not accustomed to a council type and youth-oriented group, they might lack interest in initial invitations. Groups might sound boring if boys associate them primarily to sitting around talking. Youth typically experience groups as frustrating because they have to sit and listen to lots of talk, and many students are not accustomed to having their own opinions and interests taken seriously. Boys Councils will change those experiences!

Recommendations to engage boys will vary, depending on the setting, ages, and populations of boys.

By far the most effective tool to increase boys’ interest is peer group word of mouth. If the word on the school yard is a good one about Boys Council, then the groups will likely fill easily. Initial strategies could include any of the following:

• Invite a small group of peer leaders to a gathering to discuss boys’ interests, needs, and challenges in that setting. If this group meeting is successful, the boys are likely to want to return. Introduce and use the boys council format as a structure for the meeting. Provide a meal or fun snacks and/or other incentives for their attendance and their ideas. Ask the boys how to get other boys interested, and create a plan together.
• Present the group as a leadership opportunity. Utilize peer resource students or anti-bullying teams to make and send personal invitations to other students.
• Have older boys, such as juniors and seniors, provide co-facilitation in teams with trained adult facilitators in groups for younger boys.
• Acknowledge with the boys that because they haven’t experienced Boys Council before, they may think it sounds weird or cheesie, but tell them its rooted in ancient traditions. Let them know that as boys are transitioning through adolescence, across cultures and throughout the ages, they have come together in council to discuss concerns and develop strategies,celebrate their masculinity, and harness their strengths

Another important factor is boys’ knowledge of the facilitators. Building relationships with the boys in one-to–one or very small group conversations can make the difference in their decision to join up.

Incentives help:

• Incorporate incentives such as a technology project or field trip of interest.
• Provide community service credits or hours.
  
• Offer food at every meeting.
• Extend the invitation to students as an honor and special recognition of their peer relationship abilities or their respectful behaviors.
• Try making a deal with them. For example: Meet in Boys Council for 5 weeks, earn a trip to the ball game. If you like it, we meet for another 5 weeks.

Alternatively, integrate the Boys Council into an existing class or program, such as a health and sciences class, sports team, school play, chess club, environmental action team, or detention period.

For highly disconnected youth, find a way to pay them cash for their time. Make their time meaningful to them, and worth academic credits or community service. They need a strong reason to bother. Look for ways to provide transportation for boys who need it.

How do you protect boys from potential abuse?

We recommend that every organization, school, or community setting that provides Boys Council groups follows standard safeguard practices to protect all children and youth from any type of abuse or crime. Protective measures are essential steps to any solid program’s successful implementation.

Agencies should require all adults, staff and volunteer, who work with children and teens to obtain fingerprint clearances, to receive child abuse prevention and response training, including how to recognize signs of possible abuse, responsibilities as mandated reporters, and procedures to report suspicion of child abuse.

In every setting, we recommend that children and youth are never alone and isolated with one adult. Ideally, two adults or young adults co-facilitate the groups, or, when there is not capacity for two facilitators, at least one other responsible adult is on site and available before, during, and after each session. In addition, the on-site adult should have permission to come and go freely, albeit respectfully, from the group room.

If your setting’s policy is unknown to you, or inadequate, contact your state’s child welfare department to request recommended guidelines for staff and volunteers. Children's and teen's rights and safety policies should be posted, spoken, distributed, and reviewed with children, parents, and all staff on site. Administrator contact information should be given to all participants and families to report any concerns or problems.

How can I obtain the Boys Council Facilitator Activity Guides?

Visit our Materials page to learn more about our curricula content and purchasing information.