NGO Moves to Redefine Societal Norms, Graduates First Batch of 20 Students in Kaduna
By: Edirin Robinson
Boys2Men Coaching and Mentoring, an NGO dedicated to grooming young boys into responsible adults, in Collaboration with 360 MAAAS Hub, has graduated its first batch of 20 students after extensive training on tech and life-saving skills.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at 360 MAAAS Hub in Kaduna, yesterday, the Team Leader. Mr. Henry Lamba emphasized the NGO’s mission to redefine societal norms and empower boys to become change-makers.
According to him, Boys2Men is an NGO committed to grooming young boys as they transition into manhood to become responsible adults who will become change-makers and make the world a better place.
He added that through carefully designed programs, the NGO is working towards redefining societal norms created by the society. “What we do here is to help raise, and sharpen the next generation of Men. We aim to redefine societal norms and empower them to become people of high demand and also to become the next generation of change-makers.
According to him, men from early years have had to face challenges in society, such as defining masculinity, embracing emotions, inclusive mindset, and socio-social consciousness.
“We created an initiative called the Manbox model, which challenges the limiting societal expectations that the boys have traditionally that define their masculinity.
“We observed that the majority of boys, and even men, lack people who can encourage or give them moral support. Instead, they are given the perspective that they are men, so they are not supposed to have emotions or feelings.
“This makes them become vulnerable and restrict themselves to the norms created by people around them and even limiting their abilities all to meet up with societal standards.”
“We guide them to become Men by giving them mentorship support, providing them with life skills and positive identities, and guiding them on how to contribute to the growth of their families and communities.
“We have several curriculums we teach them, specially designed for their grooming, such as the Manbox, the societal gender norms, identification and healthy manhoods and other many topics they go through in class.”
Speaking on the next step for the Boys after graduation, Mr Lamba disclosed that the NGO plans to link them with mentors who can continue to groom them in their respective fields or career choices.
“We are looking at how the impact can be sustained, so we plan to bring them closer, giving them listening ears and guiding them on whatever they want to do whenever they face challenges.
“We also link them with mentors who are doing well in whatever industry or career they desire to follow and also teach them to mentor other young boys to become of good morals as our mission has defined.
“By doing this, we believe that our vision will be a success and affect the lives of many young boys, even those on the street who have gone astray, by influencing their motive, mindset, and character to put them back on track,” He said.
Speaking also, the CEO of MAS Hub, Mrs. Salome Danjuma Mamanjabs, disclosed that Boys2Men was born out of concern for the well-being of boys who are forced to grow up with the standard the society has set for men.
According to her, the Founder of Boys2Men, Mr Reuben, whose interest is in working with boys, mentoring, and coaching them, had reached out to her organization for a partnership to empower young boys with tech skills.
“The Society is always focused on the girl child, training them to become better women in the future while the boys are neglected and left with little or no training, making them grow differently, and that is why Boys2Men is here to change the narrative and transform minds, positively.
“We have twenty boys graduating today; this is the first graduates of the program, so we want to have more participants next year. Based on the entire structure of the training, We mentor them and coach the boys in tech skills.
“The whole idea is, after this training, they come in once a month, and We engage them in some of this project as the listenership is for them to carry the skill forward in a sense that they can come back and register with us for the training that we give.
“Most of the knowledge they acquired are introductory part so for them to dive in into those areas which is Canva IOT and then problem-solving skills which is one of the things we started with, because generally they need to know how to solve problems before they can apply those skills or know it better so that it can help them in the future.
“There’s a training we do here for kids called Innovative Dev academy from basic to proficiency; we run it co-currently with school sessions on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am. to 2 pm, we run it for three months, the same as the school session, and this is the third batch.
“That is why they encourage parents to register their children under the IDA so that they can learn tech skills.”
A Parent, Mr Polycarp Luka said that Boys2Men is worth the applause and recommendation for the impact the training had on his son. The training has enhanced my Son’s understanding of who a Man is, how a Man acts, and who a Man should be to the family and society.
“My son has learned that there are no responsibilities he can’t get involved within the house, even in the Kitchen. He understands how a man should behave and not use his strength for terrorism but to do the right thing.
” He has learned ICT skills that have increased his knowledge, and he is putting it into practice. I have seen him become responsible and willing to carry out chores in the house.”
One of the participants, John Paul, expressed his gratitude to the NGO and tutors who trained them, noting that Boys2Men has sharpened him morally, mentally, socially, and academically.
He shared that what stood out for him was the Manbox, which is a rigid set of expectations from society that men are supposed to be strong and violent in the demand for respect, which is unnecessary.
“Boys2Men has sharpened my life in different aspects. In these 10 weeks, they have taught me how to care for myself and protect my siblings by building healthy relationships at home.
“I have learned a lot and unlearnt a lot. I have learned that we don’t need to be dominating and demanding or emotionless, that we can cry and show our emotions, and also that it is okay for a man to cry and ask for help and speak out when the need arises.
“The society saying that a man should man up and not depend on others for help has put a lot of men into a trap because most of them are not free enough to ask for help when they need to.
“I want to thank Mr Reuben and the entire Boys2Men Team; they have shown us love, care, and support. Thank you for this life-changing opportunity.”
