The Boys Project is an innovative “boys only” program that addresses the needs and interests of elementary, middle, and high school boys. The Boys Project celebrates the diversity of boys’ perspectives, their myriad personalities and varied problem-solving approaches, freeing them from what William Pollack, author of Real Boys, calls the “gender straight jacket.”
After The Girls Project began at the Neighborhood School in 1997, boys, their parents, and teachers immediately began asking for a program that, like The Girls Project, would enable boys to investigate issues important to them in a safe and fun environment. In fact, at one end-of-the-year Girls Project performance, a principal was surrounded by a group of boys demanding a similar program just for boys.
Recent data indicates that boys, especially from low-income families, are more likely to: experience violence; be disciplined in school or drop out of school; receive diagnoses of ADHD and ADD; and join gangs than their female counterparts. Our earliest discussions with public school boys on Manhattan's Lower East Side confirm these findings. We discovered that some of the major issues affecting this group of boys include the following:
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Boys are teased and bullied regularly. They are teased by other boys (and to a lesser extent by girls) at school and on the street. They want to know how to handle that.
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Boys feel pressure about stereotypes. Boys are surrounded by stereotypes of what is expected of them, namely to be tough, invulnerable, and unexpressive. The avenues to become their fullest selves in the current cultural context are not clearly marked.
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Boys know little about their changing bodies. Boys have even less information and knowledge about their changing bodies than girls. They are also concerned about body image issues.
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Boys are concerned about the continued rise in violence in school in their communities. When discussing their fears, boys almost always mention guns and violence.
The Boys Project creates a safe space that provides boys with the opportunity to: explore their identities beyond gender prescriptions, express themselves freely and creatively; solve conflicts safely; and broach issues that might not otherwise be discussed such as, bullying, their changing bodies, and how to develop healthy relationships. In such an open forum, boys learn more about themselves, acquire important life skills, and develop more awareness about the world around them.
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