FOXY launches program for teen boys
SMASH curriculum to focus on dispelling traditional stereotypes of masculinity
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
High school student Bradley Shaw thinks there are alternative ways for men to express their masculinity than what mainstream society dictates.
When he found out FOXY, or Fostering Open eXpression among Youth, is launching SMASH, a parallel program to help young men in the Northwest Territories express their individual ideas of masculinity, he jumped on the opportunity to participate.
SMASH, or Strength, Masculinities and Sexual Health, is a collaboration with teachers, artists, youth and community leaders from around the territory. To build the curriculum, they responded to needs identified in over 60 interviews, focus groups and discussions that have taken place over the last year, according to the FOXY website. Shaw, a peer-support member with SMASH, says young men are brought up to think the only way to be masculine is to have big muscles and repress their feelings.
"Showing emotion doesn't mean you're less masculine," he said. "I'm interested in dispelling the myth that the only way to be masculine is to be physically strong and not open up about your feelings."
And that's exactly what young men participating in the program will do. Participants will "SMASH patriarchal, colonialist ideas that define men as inherently unfeeling or violent," as well as "SMASH the concept that a man's strength exists only in his physique, or in his ability to not show emotion." Participants will also "SMASH the notion that unhealthy relationships have a place in our society, and prove that men and women can work together to make our communities better, healthier places," according to the website.
The workshops will also be practical, says Nancy MacNeill, co-founder of FOXY. "There will be a lot of realistic, practical sexual-health education, so addressing myths that come up on the Internet - things that they actually need to know," she said, adding teenage boys have been requesting a similar program to the female version since they launched FOXY in 2012.
"One of the things I've heard is guys saying they have always felt this way," she said.
Shaw was a perfect fit as a peer support member, according to MacNeill.
"He's a really relatable guy and has a lot to contribute, especially on the side of non-mainstream guys ... guys that don't necessarily fit that model of guys who are super tough and never vulnerable," MacNeill said.
Shaw says he hopes the program will successfully empower the male participants and teach them how to communicate their feelings.
"I think that at the end of it, they will be able to create their own definition of masculinity," he said.
In July, SMASH is holding its first free retreat at Blachford Lake Lodge. There will be Inuit and Dene games and a digital story workshop. Participants will also plan projects that address issues in their communities and work on those issues when they return home. SMASH is delivering at least 10 workshops in high schools across the territory this fall.
