A mentoring group for boys to explore masculinity away from the influence of social media is launching in Frome.
The Village Boys group is open to boys aged eight to 12 and is led by male mentors Luke and Rob at the Critchill Manor Estate. It is organised by The Village Frome CIC.
Boys in the group can take part in activities including using tools, cooking over fire, growing food, exploring the woods, caring for the land and taking on jobs that make a genuine contribution to the community.
Adventure, challenge and rites of passage will also form part of the group as it develops.
The group has been developed in response to concerns about the messages boys are exposed to online about masculinity, relationships and what it means to be a man.
The organisers say the group has grown partly from concerns about the increasing influence of online masculinity culture on boys and young men, including figures such as Andrew Tate.
Rather than simply telling boys which online influences to avoid, the programme aims to give them opportunities to build relationships with positive male role models and experience different examples of masculinity.
Jessie Lowe, Director of The Village Frome, said, “Boys need good men in their lives. Men they know over time, who show through their actions that strength can sit alongside kindness, responsibility, vulnerability, courage and care. That’s really where Village Boys came from: healthy masculinity lived rather than taught.”
Rather than a short course or conventional activity club, Village Boys is intended to be a long-term mentoring community where relationships between the boys and their mentors can deepen over time.
Village Boys runs every Thursday from 10am to 3pm during term time at The Village in Frome, a community space that supports families, children and practitioners through nature-based learning and community events.
Sessions cost £40. The group begins in September and registrations of interest are now open.
For more information, contact villagefrome@gmail.com or visit thevillagefrome.co.uk.
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