Mentoring a boy child to be a better man in the society
Teaching boys responsibility while they are still young.
It is indeed time to replace outdated constructs expressed by phrases such as ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘men behaving badly’ with a new, healthier concept of masculinity. Following cases of women abuse and femicide increasing in Mzansi, you will probably agree with this statement.
With social dysfunctions being disturbingly prevalent in South Africa, boys need active guidance and positive role models to help them make positive contributions to society.
Co-founded by Sydney Mbhele and Mpho Masondo, Mentor a Boy Child an NPO/PBO and section 18s organisation which was founded two years ago is launching a new 18-month pilot programme for boys aged between 14 and 15 years to coincide with youth month 2019, because, the earlier the better.
The programme, which will be piloted at a school in a historically disadvantaged area and will reach about 100 youngsters and will offer access to structured mentorship through a series of quarterly workshops.
These workshops, which will include inspirational talks, curriculum-driven working sessions, one-on-one mentorship sessions and feedback sessions, are intended to uplift, upskill and empower boys currently in Grade Nine to be the very best men they can be in today’s fast-moving, complex technological society is often ridden with social ills.
Each boy will be matched with a suitable mentor who will help him develop a range of life skills applicable in both the workplace and in family and social relationships. The organisation will in time, introduce e-learning modules to the programme and a MABC app will be made available to participants as well.
“We believe that the development of the boy child has been neglected and that we need to give boys the active support they require in order to navigate the transition to adulthood and to define themselves as a new kind of man,” says Mbhele, who when he is not chairing the board of Mentor A Boy Child, is the Chief Executive: Brand for one of the big financial services organisations, he is an experienced marketer and serves on the board of the Marketing Association of South Africa.
“Our aim with this programme is, therefore, to help adolescent boys make better life decisions and be better men in society,” he added.
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“Our aim is to deliver effective and fit-for-purpose role modelling and life skills development to replace outdated and often destructive concepts of masculinity,” says Andile Khumalo, who is also a board member of the Mentor a Boy Child and is Chairman of the Brave Group, a full-service marketing agency.
“The combined effects of poor education, the absence of father figures, and the lack of character-building programmes and other appropriate extra-curricular activities mean that boys in this age group often feel aimless and without a purpose in life. We intend to help them to find their purpose and to become a new kind of man,” Khumalo added.
The pilot programme is set to focus on five key attributes, namely responsibility, self-empowerment, leadership, social contribution and personal fulfilment.
This is an expression of Mentor a Boy Child’s mission, which is to provide guidance and support to build healthy masculinity, to be a beacon of hope for boy children, to encourage them to take ownership of their own development and futures, and to enable them to become healthy and effective leaders in society.
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