Boys 2 MENtors Curriculum Manual: A young men’s journey to self-empowerment and discovery through interactive activities and life-skills lessons

By The Leadership Program

Boys 2 MENtors® is a leadership program for middle and high school boys. This curriculum manual comprises 50 interactive sessions that address social emotional learning, leadership, and Common Core standards and that provide opportunities to link to the school day curriculum. Based on research on male adolescent development as well as direct classroom experience and application, the program has been designed to be facilitated over the course of a school year, engaging young men mentally and providing a distinctly physical component, sometimes light, sometimes rigorous. The curricular framework is scaffolded through six components:

• • LEAD UP—Introduction to leadership themes and expectations, creating a socially and emotionally safe and positive peer group.
• • WHAT’S UP?—Examining the diverse characteristics of identity among young men.
• • STEP UP—Developing a sense of collaboration among the group and honing interpersonal relationship skills.
• • OWN UP—Developing a sense of pride and accountability regarding life choices.
• • MAN UP—Determining the characteristics of a positive male role model.
• • RISE UP—Creating a vision and actionable plans for the future.

Boys 2 MENtor® has been field-tested in urban sites and has received accolades from participants and schools, reporting improvements in key areas that include peer connectedness, independent thinking skills, understanding the relationship between effort and excellence, and a range of protective factors such as future orientation and goal setting. The companion Boys 2 MENtors® Student Workbook offers an opportunity for students to take ownership of their participation and build a body of responses to and reflections on themes relevant to their lives. The title, Boys 2 MENtors®, refers to the development of young men into positive male role models—future mentors for other young men—and to the role of facilitators as exemplars and guides for boys participating in the program.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Girl Friday Books
• Release date: Sep 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781959411055

The Leadership Program

The Leadership Program’s curriculum is steeped in leadership development from an SEL perspective, taking participants through self-discovery, group awareness, and community impact. The program can be used in classrooms, after-school settings, and at home. It includes project-based activities designed to support positive change in schools, homes, and communities. 

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Boys 2 MENtors coverBoys 2 MENtors title pageThe Leadership Program logo

Copyright © 2022 The Leadership Program

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Created by The Leadership Program, New York

www.theleadershipprogram.com

The Leadership Program

535 8th Avenue, Floor 16

New York, NY 10018

Girl Friday Books logo

Published by Girl Friday Books™, Seattle

www.girlfridaybooks.com

Produced by Girl Friday Productions

ISBN (print) 978-1-959411-01-7

ISBN (ebook) 978-1-959411-05-5

Contents

Introduction

Program Overview

The Leadership Program: Who We Are

Boys 2 MENtors™ Curriculum Overview

Facilitation Tips

Our Process: The Experiential Learning Cycle

Preparation Essentials

Inside the Activity

Section One: Lead Up / Introduction

Objective: To create a socially and emotionally cohesive, safe, and positive peer group

Elements of Leadership

Values to Stand On

Setting Expectations

The Ideal Role Model Leader

Section Two: What’s Up? / Identity

Objective: To examine the diverse characteristics of identity among young men

Heritage

Why I Am the Way I Am

Around My Way

My Heritage: Giving Meaning to Culture and Tradition

Who Am I?

Body Positive

Me in the World

Which Me Do You See?

Inside the Outside

Section Three: Step Up / Interacting

Objective: To develop a sense of collaboration among the group and to hone interpersonal relationship skills

Communication

Active Listening

What’s on Your Mind?

Our Society

Perception Is Someone’s Reality, Parts 1, 2, and 3

Family / How I Contribute at Home

In the Zone

My Many Roles

Healthy Relationships

What Is a Relationship?

Who’s the Man?

Building Healthy Relationships

Section Four: Own Up / Personal Responsibility

Objective: To develop a sense of pride and accountability regarding life choices

Respect for All / Diversity

Message Mayhem

Compassion, Olympic-Style

When the Sky Turns Green

Respect for Women, Parts 1 and 2

A Web of Opinions

Investment in Education

What’s My Style? Parts 1, 2, and 3

Directing My Own Education

Citizen Me

Home Is Where the Help Is

Doing the Right Thing

We’re All in This Together!

Section Five: Man Up / My Roles as a Man

Objective: To determine and develop the characteristics of a positive male role model

Fathers and Fatherhood

Father Figures

Stepping into My Vision

What It Means to Be a Successful Man

Channel Success News

The Successful Man, Parts 1 and 2

Navigating the Dynamics of Power Relationships

Authority Figures

Life Is a Marathon

Respect and Authority

Section Six: Rise Up / Future Plans

Objective: To create a vision and actionable plans for the future

Problem Solving / Facing Challenges

Failure as Growth

Making Decisions

Decision Making

Choices, Decisions, Consequences

Goal Setting

Sounds like a Plan!

Stepping Up to Success

Future Me / College, Career, Legacy

Seeing Myself in College

Qualities of a Career

Leaving My Legacy

Virtual Interviews

Final Project

Young Men Rising

Reference

Theoretical Rationale

Reference List

Credits

Introduction

Program Overview

The Leadership Program: Who We Are

For over twenty years, The Leadership Program has worked to provide educational institutions of all types and sizes with youth development activities, professional development workshops, and curricula that help schools expand and enrich their academic communities.

Based in New York City, we have served more than 250 school administrations and organizations nationwide and internationally; we have worked tirelessly to create innovative and engaging curricula that provide schools assistance with youth engagement, parent involvement, management, organization, educational enrichment, strategic planning, and evaluation of their team.

We are highly regarded in the realm of educational consulting and professional development, and are regularly invited to present at national conferences on topics ranging from social-emotional learning to motivating your staff.

The Leadership Program:

works with over 18,000 students, 500 teachers, and 6,000 parents annually

created and implements a conflict-resolution project that has been designated the highest-rated leadership-themed universal adolescent violence prevention program in the country by SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP)

created an empirically validated Conflict Resolution Project, one of thirty-five in the country, and designated a Promising Program by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

was included in a 2008 Johns Hopkins research study for the Department of Defense as one of five organizations in the United States that significantly enhances positive school culture through professional development, organization, and youth development

created two of the seven programs in New York State (two of the seventy-three in the nation) designated to have Promising Practices by the Academy for Educational Development

believes that, with the right help, every person has the innate ability to lead the change

Boys 2 Mentors™ Curriculum Overview

Welcome to the Boys 2 MENtors™ curriculum. Boys 2 MENtors™ is a yearlong after-school program for adolescent boys, composed of leadership, community building, positive empowerment, and goal-oriented activities. The program is intended to address the unique circumstances of growing up male, and to promote healthy identity exploration and positive youth development. Boys 2 MENtorstm emerged out of the realization that many of our young men are in search of a space to explore and examine the wide array of issues that speak to them so particularly. The curriculum is based on research on male adolescent development as well as direct classroom experience and application. With this curriculum, we have made special efforts to not only design lessons that engage students mentally but also provide a distinctly physical component, sometimes light, sometimes rigorous. Boys 2 MENtorstm was built to reflect the energy and learning styles of young men; it has been field-tested in urban sites and has received accolades from participants and schools.

The title, Boys 2 MENtors™, refers both to the development of young men into positive male role models—future mentors for other young men—and to the role of program facilitators as exemplars and guides for boys participating in the program.

This comprehensive curriculum is structured to support both experienced and beginning facilitators. Using this manual will help you effectively facilitate the Boys 2 MENtors™ curriculum, ensuring the best possible experience for student participants.

The curriculum contains forty-four lessons. All lessons have been designed by The Leadership Program and have been refined for optimum effectiveness and student engagement. The lessons are organized into six components and are designed to engage students through a variety of activities. All lessons are scaffolded to build community, develop trust, and ensure cohesiveness within the group. With this scaffolding, the activities provide students avenues for self-reflection, team building, and dynamic self-expression, inspiring them to use new and creative thinking to craft a vision for their future.

The six components are as follows:

All lessons follow the same structure to provide a consistent framework for every session. The lessons open with information and tools to help in your facilitation and continue with step-by-step instructions for each activity.

Each lesson begins with the following information:

Lesson Objective—what students will achieve through the lesson

Summary—a brief description of the activities during the lesson

Aim—the question to be answered through lesson activities and processing

Standards—the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards (based on New York State SEL and CASEL guidelines) that are met when the lesson is facilitated according to instructions

Materials—a specific list of the materials to prepare to facilitate each particular lesson, including masters of handouts and worksheets, where applicable

Handouts—information and reference pages, available for participants in their Student Writing Companions

Worksheets—activity pages to be filled in by students during lessons, available in the Student Writing Companions

Vocabulary—significant words used in each lesson, to be incorporated throughout the activities

Facilitator Note—an alert when the lesson requires attention to specific details in preparation for or during the session

The step-by-step instructions are divided into sections within each lesson:

Prepare in Advance—instruction that appears at the beginning of lessons where effective facilitation requires some materials or activities to be prepared ahead of time

Warm-Up—a short activity that focuses the group on the session topic and serves as an icebreaker

Main Activity—may be divided into two or three parts and includes the activities that go to the heart of the lesson topic

Closing—a simple format for inviting each student to reflect on how they can use what they have learned during the lesson in their lives

Extension Activity—an optional activity designed to deepen the understanding of and connection to the theme of the lesson. Extension Activities can be facilitated with the participating group or assigned for students to do on their own

Facilitation Tips

Our Process: The Experiential Learning Cycle

Our facilitation process is built on the experiential learning cycle (ELC), a structured learning sequence that guides multiple styles of learners through experience-based activities (Pfeiffer & Jones, 1975, 1983). Creating continuous threads from one experience to the next, the ELC lets learners process an activity through five stages of comprehension, culminating with concept and skill application. Building on student input and curiosity, facilitators interject well-placed processing questions that allow students to discover each lesson’s learning points in a manner that feels organic and seamless. The process has proven successful in all of The Leadership Program’s urban school programs and is critical to the effective implementation of Boys 2 MENtors™.

Sprinkled throughout each lesson, therefore, you will find:

Processing Questions—suggested ELC processing questions that apply to the students’ experience during the specific lesson

Discussion Questions—suggested questions to guide the students in reflecting on other aspects of their experience and the topic of the lesson

The suggested questions and prompts are provided to guide students in processing their experience and what they have learned. An effective facilitator will listen attentively to students’ comments and responses, and both use these contributions to formulate questions that move the discussion toward answering the Aim or the Closing question and help students apply what they have learned to their lives. You may choose to use the suggested Processing and Discussion Questions that are included, or you may prefer to come up with your own questions based on the group’s experience during the session, or you may want to use a combination of the two options. Whichever approach you choose, processing the experience that the students have during the lesson is essential to supporting participants in expressing themselves and developing their skills, and to the success of Boys 2 MENtors™.

The Experiential Learning Cycle

The Experiential Learning Cycle

Preparation Essentials

Movement

Most of the lessons in this curriculum include a light-to-moderate physical activity or a game, so it is ideal to create an open space in the room. Research has shown that boys focus better and learn more positive social interactions when they are moving. Be sure to incorporate physical activities and movement whenever appropriate and possible.

Space Setup

You may want to have students form a circle to start each lesson. A circle builds community and allows students to easily see and interact with each other, taking any power dynamics out of the equation. Students can sit or stand in a circle, depending on the activity.

Keep in Mind

Read your lesson ahead of time to decide which arrangement of the furniture will work best for each session. For group interactions, chairs set up in a horseshoe or circle are good. If you will be doing a lot of small-group work, set up chairs in small circular clusters.

Make sure everyone can see you and any visual aids you may display.

Materials

Always read through the list of materials you will need to facilitate the lesson and prepare your materials in advance to ensure good use of time and smooth running during the session.

If materials include worksheets or handouts, you will find one of each at the end of the lesson from which to make extra copies if necessary. Unless otherwise indicated under Materials or Prepare in Advance, copies refers to one copy per student in your group.

Suggestion: Complete a sample of each worksheet for yourself before the lesson; you will be able to anticipate any questions that participants may have and make your group feel more comfortable if you provide your worksheet as a sample.

Video Clips

Several lessons include the use of short video clips—between one and four minutes in length. Links to the recommended videos are included in the header or body of the lesson. You will need a Smart Board or projector for these lessons.

When reading the lessons for preparation before facilitating, be sure to take into account whether you will have access to online links during the lesson or whether you will need to download the video clips to your computer ahead of time. Keep in mind that the online library of videos changes constantly; you may find other video clips that you prefer or that are more up to date to make the same point as the suggested videos.

Vocabulary

Review the vocabulary for each lesson as necessary with your participants. To save time, you may want to write definitions on chart paper or on a Smart Board before each session.

Time Management

These lessons have been created for a two-hour after-school time frame. On days when you have less than two hours, we recommend that you divide the lesson into two sessions. If you read your lessons ahead of time, you will know how to structure the sessions to achieve the lesson objective. Be sure to always leave time to include Processing Questions to reflect on the lesson experience. If you need help keeping time, set a timer. This will prevent you from running out of time and will ensure that you include the valuable processing portion of the lesson. Processing the group’s experience in each session should take priority over completing the activity as written.

Keep in Mind

Some topics of conversation can get lengthy; monitor the time so that every student who wants to participate has a chance to voice his opinion, and so that the objective for the day is achieved.

Be sure to leave enough time for the Main Activity in Respect for Women, Part 1 (Lesson 21), to end the discussion on appropriate language and respectful ways of referring to women, even if you are continuing the discussion in the next lesson. Never end the session on disrespectful language and/or inappropriate references.

Games

The curriculum includes some games, which we believe are the gateway to larger life lessons. Although games to some may not seem like the best use of time, it is important to know that some of your best processing and aha moments will come out of these games. They are placed intentionally within the lessons.

Physical Activities

All the lessons in the Boys 2 MENtors™ curriculum include some physical activity. This activity might be light, such as a gallery walk, or more vigorous, such as a snowball fight with crumpled paper. When doing physical activities with your students, always set up a safe space. Make sure that your students are comfortable with the level of physical movement that the activity requires, that there is ample space for it, and that you remind students to keep their own physical limitations in mind when taking part in these activities.

Visualization

Some activities begin with a visualization in which students are asked to close their eyes and imagine a scene that you will describe. It is important, especially the first time you conduct a visualization, to first ensure that all students feel comfortable closing their eyes. If a student does not, he can sit quietly with his eyes open and gaze turned toward the floor. There should be no talking during visualizations, and students should not touch or otherwise engage each other.

Inside the Activity

Small-Group Presentations

Small-group presentations occur frequently, when students are divided into pairs or trios to work on something that they will later present to the larger group.

In all group work, let students know how much time they have to work and remind them when to move on to the next person or task. Travel around the room to observe students, to pick up on information for later discussions that students may not think to share with the larger group, and to provide support when needed.

Brainstorm

A brainstorm is used to start conversations or to create a list or web. It is started by posing a question to the group and then writing down all of the answers given. If you follow the Brainstorming Process Ground Rules, you will prime the group for discussing the day’s topic:

Record all ideas

No critical judgment is permitted

Freethinking is welcomed (i.e., the wilder the idea, the better)

Quantity, not quality, is desired

Combination and improvement of ideas are sought

Web

A web is a visual branching system of words, usually derived from a brainstorm. A web will have a central circle containing a word (the main topic or question) and responses branching out connected by lines, much like a spiderweb. These webs give great visual context to participant ideas. One example is shown below:

Writing

Writing activities are incorporated into many of the lessons so that students can practice and hone their literacy skills. These writing exercises also provide an outlet for students who are shy about participating vocally. If students have difficulty with the writing exercises, encourage them to write in their native language, draw an image, or find another way to express their response.