Here is a basic overview of a boys program that you could approach your local high school with.
Running a program in your local high school is a great way to have a presence in your community and helps connect teens into your youth ministry. You are welcome to use this program in any of your high schools for free. To read more about this program download the pdf at the bottom of the page.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
Strong One is a program designed specifically for young men who are dis-engaged from school, struggling with fitting in at school or are having family problems at home. It’s a program that aims to equip them with life-skills essential to succeed and where they are taught the values that every man should aspire to have. In this generation there is a large absence of father figures in families because of work commitments or due to a break down of the family unit. Within the Strong One program an environment is created where young men are shown and taught qualities of manhood.
What does it look like?
The Strong One program runs once a week for 7 weeks during class time in a room chosen by the hosted school. The program best appeals to year 9 and year 10 students, as this is when young guys start to form and develop who they are as a young man. Students enjoy attending the Strong One Program because of the fantastic and entertaining activities that the team run. However, these activities are used to create an environment where students feel safe and open to discuss current issues that they may be facing.
Each week of the Strong One program addresses a different topic for participants to focus on, which will empower and challenge them in their journey. The program starts with fun games or activities that helps create a comfortable and safe environment. This is followed by a Strong One mentor running a 10-15 minute discussion about a chosen topic for the week, e.g. A man’s word, respect, what it means to be a man, hygiene, etc. This part of the program is designed to be an open discussion so participants can share their feelings and thoughts on the subject. During this time the Strong One mentors encourage and facilitate a safe environment for them to speak freely.
At the end of each session the students participating would be given a weekly challenge that they would think about and act on before the following session
