Boyz 2 Men Day 3

Today was a very productive day for the boys. We had 5 boys show up for the workshop, but we had a lot of fun. We were able to get Dainty Smith to come and do a workshop with the boys; this was a workshop based on teaching the boys about the negative aspects that the mainstream media has on gender, deconstructing the status quo. At first, we played a game that Jerry brought to us. It involved passing an item around a circle, using only our legs. We first tried it with our eyes open. Then, we tried it with our eyes closed; each time the item was passed, it the participant was allowed to open his eyes and help with directions; this game taught the boys some leadership skills and teamwork sills. The game was fun; it took around 20 minutes. We had a brief introduction of ourselves, as we sat in a circle. Dainty started talking about the radicalized image given of masculinity in the media. Dainty asked each participant ‘what it takes to be a man’. One of the participants said the word ‘swag’. It is a term I never heard before. It actually means wealth and belongings. This isn’t surprising, given the crap that the media pumps out everyday. Although most of the boys were restless and had a lot of anxiety, Dainty was able to keep them focused. Dainty later give each of the boys a magazine with tabs showing the media’s interpretation of male image and talked about the influence it has on the participants. After a short break, we talked about the each participant’s favorite role model. Names that came up were inclusive of Drake, Eminem, etc. James brought up Stephen Hawkins as a role model, since Stephen Hawkins was a perfect example of a person overcoming barriers. We then asked the boys what they learned from the program; many of them were able to pick up the main theme of the workshop. Overall, the boys seem satisfied with the workshop and Dainty left a great impression on them.