Continuing what we do well and expanding our scope
Boys to Men Canada, through circles and adventure weekends, has been addressing the incompleteness of how we educate and cultivate the growth of our youth. Largely to this point, we have been focusing almost exclusively on creating inner directed educational/mentorship opportunities through connecting youth to their hearts, to their inner wisdom, and their sense of what’s true and good. While this has been effective and necessary it is an incomplete approach and I am inspired to take our organization to the next level. My vision is that Boys to Men Canada should continue to build circles and mentoring networks in schools to provide youth with access to inner-directed educational/mentorship spaces where they can come to know themselves as they truly are, develop emotional intelligence and learn to honour and express Truth. Additionally, my vision and directive to the organization is that we have to do better than this. We have to also provide guidance, support and accountability to youth who cultivate their inner-life… and this guidance, support and accountability must address their careers, their family lives and more generally, their outward-directed individual path in the world out there. My vision is that youth who benefit and complete our programming as High School students can continue to access our mentoring network through formalized programming that helps them integrate their inner work into tangible action, choice and clarity on the path they choose to walk in the world. And that we will accomplish this through facilitating personal mentorship relationships with our mentors that are financially supported through our organization. I see the incredible power of giving youth access to modalities, support and Truth telling/honoring spaces and also recognize that this inner-directed power needs to be balanced by outer-directed powerful action in the world. A youth who can communicate well and understand their feelings is not served by being too scared or not having the means to leave their parents’ home when the next step of their journey is to be taken. Similarly, a 25 year old who’s made moves in the world in the realm of work/relationships/finance but does not understand themselves, may end up doing more harm than good. Inner work and outer directed action, when made congruent, gives birth to a holism of being for the individual, and also a holism of vision for our organization. Given what has been missing within our school systems and also within our mentoring organization, it’s time to evolve our organization into a more complete wholeness of approach.
Get involved
In my understanding, leadership needs to be collaborative and synergistic across a diversity of perspectives and people. My aspiration is to unify a group of mentors in their call to serve youth in a holistic (inner and outer directed growth) way that honours our capacity to be True. If you are reading this and feel inspired to get involved, please reach out to us through our website contact pages, sign up for our Fall Adventure Weekend or attend our Spring Virtual Open House!
With great love,
Alexander Bon-Miller
Executive Director, Boys to Men Canada