The Faith Community Network (FCN) of The Boys Initiative is a coalition of religious leaders and lay people who will commit to advocate and lobby for our boys of all colors, creeds, and ethnicities.
The FCN resolves to use their influence within the faith community at-large to sound the clarion call that our boys are indeed immersed in problems of crisis proportions which require us to take bold, immediate action. The action includes but is not limited to petitioning leaders and governing bodies of our religious denominations, sects, dioceses, etc.
Faith leaders and lay people, what can you do to help solve the boy crisis?
- First, educate yourself about solutions to the boy crisis through attending workshops, seminars, book studies, and conferences.
- Inform and educate the people and members of your religious organization or local body about the issues negatively affecting our boys.
- Craft a statement of support of efforts to help boys in society, education, mental, physical health, and social-emotional well-being.
- Host study groups, meetings, committees and invite guest speakers who are knowledgeable about the boy crisis and solutions to the problem. Follow with crafting an action plan proposing ways mothers could work together to address the problem and solve the boy crisis in their communities.
- To use their influence to reach legislators and other policy makers in education as well as local and national governments to act decisively by writing laws, policies, and regulations to mount an offensive to solve the boy crisis.
- Send letters to the editors of your local newspaper, write articles for professional journals and magazines, use social media, contact policy makers, and notify the media.
- To monitor the progress of those who are working to solve the boy crisis by staying informed, monitoring, and analyzing local and national data.
- Local faith-based groups petition their respective national governing bodies and organizational leaders to craft denominational statements and guidance documents for member churches. Ensure that regular communication continues as progress is monitored.
Network members, can you commit to doing any of the following?
- Educate yourself about the boy crisis by reading and attending classes or workshops.
- Write to your religious leaders about the problems your boys are having and what your organization could do.
- Offer to give a presentation about the boy crisis for your fellow members.
- Host a meeting and invite a guest speaker:
- Post the event on the public library’s bulletin board.
- Advertise it for free in the local newspaper’s section for community and religious events.
- Send an announcement to your denomination’s newsletter to member organizations.
- Post flyers in local businesses.
- Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper about the boy crisis and what religious organizations and leaders can do.
- Send an email to your denomination’s headquarters and/or post on the Facebook page.
- Sign up to speak at the next local school board meeting about the achievement gap between boys and girls in the schools.
- Explain your concerns regarding the boy crisis in an email to your county and local government leaders, congressman, and senators. Post comments on their Facebook pages or Twitter accounts about the boy crisis and what they can do.