June 10, 2014
News Clips
- ‘Thank Goodness We Have Boys’
I have a responsibility to raise gentlemen. To raise boys into men who think unequal pay for equal work just isn’t fair. To raise men who don’t think mommies stay home and daddies go to work. To raise men who are equal participants in the household and have the skills — when they finally leave the nest — to do their own laundry, cook a meal, clean a bathroom.
Huffington Post
June 8, 2014 - Little boys need encouragement, too: Guest opinion
But as I was running along, I had to wonder: Where were all the little boys? Is there a Boys on the Run organization? There is not. Is there anyone out there who thinks little boys might like to run, too, in a group? Running along, flanked by my sons and daughter and all their friends, high-fiving little boys and girls sitting along the sidelines, my typical running musings became more complex. This happens while running. Why were all these little boys on the sidelines? Who champions their cause now? Have we decided boys have had it too good for too long that now only girls need empowering? Only girls need to value fitness? Only girls need to feel like a champion? Does it have to be an either/or? Do we have to pick sides: boys or girls?
Oregon Live
June 7, 2014 - Sperm size and shape in young men affected by cannabis use
Young men who use cannabis may be putting their fertility at risk by inadvertently affecting the size and shape of their sperm according to research published today (Thursday 5 June 2014).
Health Canal
June 6, 2014 - Why 200 Black Men Raised Concerns About Obama’s Initiative Targeting Men and Boys of Color
More than 200 black men have signed on to a letter expressing concerns about My Brother’s Keeper, the initiative launched by President Obama and the philanthropic community earlier this year to address what the White House calls “opportunity gaps” facing young men and boys of color. The signers—among them actor and activist Danny Glover, scholar Robin D.G. Kelley and author Kiese Laymon—take issue with the $200 million effort’s exclusive focus on boys and men.
The Nation
June 6, 2014 - A Time for Action: Eleven Leading Philanthropies Announce Steps to Expand Opportunities for Young Men of Color
Recommendations and initial funding commitments set stage for long-term effort to ensure success in health, education and employment
Eleven of the nation’s leading philanthropies today announced a bold plan of action to maximize the potential of the private sector to improve life outcomes for America’s boys and young men of color. The plan is bolstered by $194 million in initial investments in key initiatives, including programs to enhance school learning environments and reduce the overrepresentation of young people in the justice system. These investments build on existing efforts by foundations to expand educational opportunities, increase access to technology, and build pathways to jobs and economic opportunities in underserved communities.
Digital Journal
June 6, 2014 - How Boys Teach Each Other to Be Boys
Taking cues from family and media, young boys teach their peers how to perform masculinity, to their detriment.
What makes a male child become a “boy,” as we understand that concept socially? In her new book, When Boys Become Boys, Judy Y. Chu reports on her two-year study in which she followed a group of boys from pre-kindergarten through first grade. She concluded that most of what we think of as “boy” behavior isn’t natural or authentic to boys, but is something they learn to perform.
The Atlantic
June 6, 2014 - The Crisis in Manhood that Goes Far Beyond Elliot Rodger
Seldom, though, do we dig deeper. Why are we creating so many angry young men? What can we learn from this tragic incident that makes us look not just at the Elliots, but at all of us?
The Shriver Report
June 4, 2014 - Boys of Divorced Parents Twice as Likely to Be Obese
And for boys, the likelihood of unhealthy weight was even higher. They were 63% more likely to be generally overweight than boys with married parents. And they were 104% more likely to have too much weight on their waist.
Time
June 4, 2014 - Remove Systemic Barriers So Boys and Young Men of Color Can Succeed
The report also acknowledges that, to achieve equity, we must target solutions to the specific populations that need them the most, wisely recommending that the government must “close gaps in data collection for currently invisible populations.” It identifies challenges faced by particular groups, such as Black, Latino, Native American, Southeast Asian, and gay and transgender boys and young men of color.
Huffington Post
June 3, 2014 - Among New Smokers, Teen Boys More Likely to Quit Than Girls: Study
The study included 620 boys and girls in Montreal, aged 12 and 13, who had recently started smoking at least occasionally. Just over 40 percent of the teens said their parents smoked, nearly 90 percent had friends who smoked and about 80 percent said they often saw their teachers or other school staff smoking.
Health Day
June 3, 2014 - Boys need help to break the cycle of crime
Research shows that boys with a convicted father are more likely to commit a criminal offence themselves. Neil Lyndon, whose father spent time in prison, had a lucky escape.
The Telegraph
June 3, 2014 - Why are preschools expelling black boys?
In a section titled “Keeping Young Children in School and on Track,” the authors of the report, called “My Brother’s Keeper Task Force Report to the President,” urged that something be done to reduce the number of black kids who are suspended or expelled from preschool.
app.com
June 2, 2014 - Why the decision to circumcise should be left in the hands of the family
What should a new or prospective parent consider when trying to decide whether to have their son circumcised? I don’t think there is a single simple answer for all parents (is there ever?). So let’s examine the evidence.
The Globe and Mail
June 2, 2014 - Online games addiction a cause of poor mental health?
“There is growing evidence that young men are more likely than young women to spend excessive amounts of time gaming which can have negative effects on their mental health. This includes addiction and depression and can lead to difficulties with social relationships,” she said.
Medical Xpress
June 2, 2014 - No wonder young men have a problem with self-esteem
Overstimulated by technology, warped by porn, lacking male role models, bombarded by perfect body images, it’s no surprise that teenage boys struggle as much as girls when it comes to self-image
The emotional needs of young women have (quite rightly) been discussed at length by experts, journalists and politicians over the past five years. Yet what those who present low self-esteem and body insecurity as “feminist” issues fail to grasp is that their male counterparts are struggling just as much, they are simply less able to articulate their needs. After all, generations of social conditioning tells us that men don’t “do” feelings.
The Telegraph
June 2, 2014 - Scientists Spot Clues to Why Males Have Tougher Time in the Womb
A new study suggests that the placenta — the organ that connects the developing fetus to the mother and provides nourishment in the womb — plays a major role in creating differences that go beyond the obvious physical differences between the genders.
“Our research has found that there are undeniable genetic and physiological differences between boys and girls that extend beyond just the development of their sexual characteristics,” study co-author Claire Roberts, leader of the fetal growth research priority for the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute in Australia, said in an university news release.
Health Day
May 30, 2014
International News
AUSTRALIA
- Circumcision on the rise despite hospital ban
Circumcision rates for newborn boys in NSW have jumped by more than 30 per cent in the past two decades, and there is now a call for the procedure to be reintroduced in public hospitals. Sydney University professor of medicine Brian Morris claims the latest evidence shows the operation is ”equivalent to childhood vaccination” and it is ”unethical” not to offer the procedure to all parents as a matter of routine.
The Sydney Morning Herald
June 7, 2014
SOUTH AFRICA
- Some young South African men become casualties during botched rite of passage into manhood
In 2012, Asanda lost his penis to gangrene in a botched circumcision ritual performed by a traditional surgeon wielding the same spear on more than a dozen initiates. He was an unusual case among thousands of men hospitalized after such ceremonies in past years because he broke a code of secrecy about the tradition and spoke out in protest. For that, he endured public humiliation and even a severe beating a few months ago.
US News
June 4, 2014