Pretoria - The process of empowering young men and boys to be an asset to society will be impossible unless they are healed from their past experiences.
To this end, youth social services organisation Primestars launched a film, What About the Boys?, at 24 cinemas across the country this week to deal with this issue.
The film premiered at Ster-Kinekor in Rosebank, and was attended by 150 young men from Cosmo City and Alexandra.
It highlights topics such as bullying, sex debut for boys, peer pressure and gender-based violence (GBV).
The young men in attendance were afforded an opportunity to reflect on these issues at a dialogue session.
Founder of the Young Men’s Movement and facilitator, Kabelo Chabalala, said participants spoke out about the regressive ways in they were raised and taught values like, “boys don’t cry”.
Chabalala, also an author, said many expressed a desire to be socialised differently and to be able to cry without being mocked.
“As a mentor, I realised that boys nationwide faced the same challenges, and it was comforting to see them open up about their challenges.
“They want to belong, and the movement What About the Boys? reminded them that they too are important and should be looked after.
“These boys want to be able to be vulnerable and have someone to guide them,” Chabalala added.
Speaking at the launch, founder and director of Primestars, Martin Sweet, said the human and economic impact of GBV, highlighted by the report “The Costly impact of GBV”, spoke about how the problem was too big to ignore, and the need for more investment in prevention of GBV.
Sweet said considering the underlying behaviour that increased a man’s risk of committing GBV started in childhood, it was crucial for the organisation and the national initiative to invest in prevention from a young age.
“Fathers and mothers must raise their children to respect and treat everyone equally. Boys must be made aware that they are owed no special position because of their gender.
“We fail them if we don’t give them an opportunity to have open, robust discussions about these issues in a safe and supportive space where they can express their opinions, fears and anxieties. This action starts today as we take our first step in raising an entirely new generation of good men,” he said.
Sweet said the film would be available across 24 cinema complexes, with over 50 auditoriums and 70 evaluated mentors with each group of boys, representing around 100 different schools.
He said in addition, the organisation had established an ecosystem of qualified organisations that would provide counselling to boys and girls in need of assistance.
Participating pupils will not only be able to gain access to an educational film encouraging positive values and norms, but be given a “blueprint booklet” and access to a digital platform to enhance the ongoing engagement and support.
“If we educate our sons, we will not have to protect our daughters. For every good man who asks ‘What can I do?’, there is an opportunity to join this movement by engaging young men and boys to share emotions in healthy ways, accept and connect with others, stand up and speak out against bullying and inequality, and finally break free from rigid stereotypes,” Sweet said.
Pretoria News