Boys to Men-Lessons for Life is a Christian outreach program for at-risk and incarcerated young men.
I have been part of a volunteer ministry group through my church for four years at a local Detention center. From my very first visit I felt the need for structure for our time together. I began writing little lessons, they were well received by the young men and I began to see how much they were being ministered too through the lessons. Those lessons have now become a workbook "Boys to Men-Lessons for Life" designed to be used in a group setting. The workbook contains 12 different lessons. Each lesson addresses one of the many tough issues that young men today are faced with such as anger, guilt, deception, wisdom,etc. The workbook is designed to be a discussion starter and for reader participation.
We all know that most young men don't like to openly talk about their feelings and will do anything necessary to avoid them all together. Through the use of this program our time together is now structured and if you have ever worked with young men you know that things can get out of hand very quickly. When confronted with thought provoking questions on a subject such as anger (here is an example from Boys to Men-Lessons for life). "Have you ever felt anger over an injustice to someone you knew or an event that you witnessed? How did it make you feel? I have witnessed total silence fall over a group of gang members. I have seen their face's look down and have seen tears fall as they contemplate a question such as this. These were gang members of course they had witnessed things, but they never thought about how those events may have effected them. The lessons in this workbook are tough they are not meant to be taken lightly. My goal when starting this ministry was to make these young men think and allow them the time they need to talk. It is not about us (the workers) we are not there to hear ourselves talk. Boys to Men-Lessons for Life is about encouraging young men to open up and begin to deal with their feelings. The condition of our young men today is grave. Reckless abandon is the norm. Moral value is nothing. The lure of ill-gotten gain and quick money is the driving force behind most of the failure of our youth today. All is not lost though and the bottom line is.. these kids (as bad as some are) are just that they are kids!
I have been part of a volunteer ministry group through my church for four years at a local Detention center. From my very first visit I felt the need for structure for our time together. I began writing little lessons, they were well received by the young men and I began to see how much they were being ministered too through the lessons. Those lessons have now become a workbook "Boys to Men-Lessons for Life" designed to be used in a group setting. The workbook contains 12 different lessons. Each lesson addresses one of the many tough issues that young men today are faced with such as anger, guilt, deception, wisdom,etc. The workbook is designed to be a discussion starter and for reader participation.
We all know that most young men don't like to openly talk about their feelings and will do anything necessary to avoid them all together. Through the use of this program our time together is now structured and if you have ever worked with young men you know that things can get out of hand very quickly. When confronted with thought provoking questions on a subject such as anger (here is an example from Boys to Men-Lessons for life). "Have you ever felt anger over an injustice to someone you knew or an event that you witnessed? How did it make you feel? I have witnessed total silence fall over a group of gang members. I have seen their face's look down and have seen tears fall as they contemplate a question such as this. These were gang members of course they had witnessed things, but they never thought about how those events may have effected them. The lessons in this workbook are tough they are not meant to be taken lightly. My goal when starting this ministry was to make these young men think and allow them the time they need to talk. It is not about us (the workers) we are not there to hear ourselves talk. Boys to Men-Lessons for Life is about encouraging young men to open up and begin to deal with their feelings. The condition of our young men today is grave. Reckless abandon is the norm. Moral value is nothing. The lure of ill-gotten gain and quick money is the driving force behind most of the failure of our youth today. All is not lost though and the bottom line is.. these kids (as bad as some are) are just that they are kids!
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