The Young Men’s Peer Group began with a deceptively simple mission: to create a safe space where boys could begin to form a positive and constructive view of masculinity. Our team aimed to realize this goal through a blend of hands-on workshops, skill-building activities, and deep emotional reflection. We built a 12-week curriculum anchored around three core pillars: physical, mental, and ethical development.
The first component focused on the physical—addressing topics that are often overlooked at home or in school. Activities ranged from nutrition education (reinforced by a group trip to Chipotle), to workout fundamentals, to hands-on carpentry skills through the construction of cornhole boards and cabinets. We also took a group hike at a local nature reserve, where the boys explored the outdoors and reflected on the importance of curiosity and connection with the world around them.
One participant shared how much he appreciated the opportunity to experience nature—something rarely accessible in his urban environment. The entire group expressed pride and accomplishment after summiting a challenging hill and taking in the view together.
The second pillar centered around mental development, with an emphasis on helping the boys explore their future goals and sense of identity. Highlights included a “Mental Health Jeopardy” activity tailored specifically to young men, financial literacy and career planning workshops, and discussions on healthy relationships and emotional well-being.
Our session on dating and relationships stood out as especially impactful. The boys engaged deeply with content around “green flags” and “red flags,” identifying healthy versus unhealthy relationship dynamics. For many, this workshop offered a new perspective on past experiences, and gave them a stronger framework for future relationships.
The final pillar focused on ethics and values, with an emphasis on masculinity at both the personal and cultural level. We opened the group with a foundational question: “What does it mean to be a man?”—a prompt that sparked robust dialogue and set the tone for ongoing reflection. Over the course of the program, participants explored their own identities and began to deconstruct harmful stereotypes around manhood.
In our final session, we returned to this theme through a broader cultural lens, examining the role models and messages shaping their views of masculinity in the media, community, and beyond. The group engaged in critical discussion about the kinds of men they are becoming—and the kinds they hope to be. The group seemed to come to a consensus at the end of our final session, agreeing that being a “man” didn’t consist of one thing in particular, but rather a balance of qualities; being a leader yes, but respecting the opinions of others, being strong but also being empathetic, striving for individual success while also having a responsibility to the community.
While our end-of-program data showed measurable improvements in overall psychological well-being, stress levels remained largely unchanged—perhaps a reflection of the complex realities these young men continue to navigate outside the group. But numbers only tell part of the story. At our final group dinner, there was a quiet, reflective mood. One of the boys gave voice to that shared feeling; that he was going to miss the group—not just the activities, but the sense of brotherhood it offered. In that moment, it became clear that what we had built was more than a program. It was a space where these young men felt seen, supported, and connected—and that, more than anything, is the lasting impact we hope to carry forward and expand on in future sessions.
By: Alexander Kinaj