On Saturday, 16 May
2020, the World Day of the Boy Child was commemorated in a lively, historic
discussion (via Zoom) with multiple countries being represented: Canada,
Bahamas, New Zealand, India, Ghana, Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria,
United States, Mexico and Jamaica. The theme for 2020 was Empowering, Guiding
and Providing Role Models for a Peaceful World. The online global meeting
provided the platform for speakers who shared insight into their work and
experiences as it pertained to boys as well as life lessons for improving
interactions and outcomes for boys in all facets of life.
There was a strong acknowledgement
of the importance and the role of fathers in boys’ lives and encouragement for
participants to contact their country representatives
and determine what was being done for boys. Also, participants were encouraged
to become more involved in the change process regardless of gender, as boys
have to be taught to be great and this message should not be limited to girls. Boys
should value their lives and equity is crucial in achieving this goal. 
Even
in the time of a pandemic, some of the contributors have resorted to engaging
boys and delivering content using online platforms and mentorship programs to
ensure that boys emerge stronger and better for the experience as they 
are
future leaders and should not be overlooked.
are
future leaders and should not be overlooked.
There was encouragement to always
approach work with boys from family-focused, family-centered and family-driven
perspectives while not neglecting the aspects of mental health. This would be
achieved through play and healthy communication (respect them and gain their
trust), academia (decline in performance is notable) and a safe embrace space for
boys to share everything both good and bad as the change desired in issues that
boys experience necessitates knowledge that creates a healthy mind and body.
The
experiences of the legal system as it relates to divorce, separation, custody
and maintenance issues and the effect it has on boys was duly emphasized. And,
the ongoing impact witnessed in men during adulthood (ostracized, feel robbed
by the judicial system they deem biased to women and insufficient access of
services to men as parents). An interesting consensus among participants was
that the court system should be utilized to foster more involvement from men
and eliminate that adversarial undertone.
Increasingly,
boys are witnessed to be engaging in behaviours that are considered against
what is socially accepted at younger ages. Instead of judging and demonizing
them, take from the examples of this discussion held on World Day of the Boy Child to
improve how challenges are treated with and what outcomes can look like in the
future for boys. As parents, there is that innate responsibility for the best
possible outcomes, but the responsibility is not solely for parents but rather
the society through encouragement, correction, role modelling and even
mentorship. How will you contribute to this work? This ground-breaking work definitely
impacts the lives of the current and future generations. Everyone should
eagerly anticipate the commemoration of World Day of the Boy Child in 2021
which carries the theme Guiding the Boy Child: Positively Impacting the
World.
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