In this interview with Davis J Williams and Julia Davis, they talked about:
• Moving from the competitive field of football coaching where some young people struggled to participate to supporting youth in the community
• In Gambia, found that young boys went through a rite of passage at 13 years old and saw the difference that made to their self-respect, discipline, self-control and ambition
• The journey to manhood builds throughout the boys’ lives, involving the whole community
• Wanted to bring this rite of passage experience to the boys becoming involved in violence in London whose parents are struggling alone to guide them
• Is important to involve parents to support their skills – developed the Parenthood Academy e.g. to create more intimacy at home like parents holding hands to model caring environment, eating meal together at a table
• Bring in cartoons and animations to talk about manhood to combat narratives on social media e.g. through talking about Batman story and trauma of losing his parents
• Programmes are run by volunteers from the community who want to support positive masculinity, rather than getting funding from local authorities or referrals from schools
• Too important to wait for public funding to be provided, parents pay subscriptions for the kids to attend because they value the programme
• Focus on building accountability to each other and the practitioners – a brotherhood – and once built rapport take them away for a deeper emotional experience of overcoming a challenge
• Sit in circle without distraction – no mask wearing, no bravado - finding connections with safe people rather than with gangs
• Alongside, Parent Lead is working with the parents to go on their own emotional journey and remembering their own goals, encouraging ongoing conversations between parents and youths
• Length of time youths are involved varies – longest is 4 years of holding space for transformation
• Peer leaders who volunteer come from different professions – all have in common that they have capacity to care
• Strict screening process in place
• Not easy because have to overcome the boys’ resistance to authority figures
• Have to allow conversation to go where the boys want to take it, even when uncomfortable or controversial, for someone to have the courage to give different opinions
