Family in Crisis?

A Presentation by Simon Mbevi

Executive Director

TRANSFORM NATIONS

Family can be the greatest blessing or the worst curse to the growing generation.

It is meant to be the ‘safe’ place where children belong, learn, laugh and form into healthy human beings.

Realities at home includeIncreased divorce, Violence,Neglect, and GeneralDysfunction

Family is Great!

Failure at Home

“Because we are failing at family life, our children are failing in life.”

David T. Moore

The crisis of the family is first and foremost a crisis in masculinity!

MASCULINITY IN CRISIS

What words describe the state of Men today?• Passive or Dominant • Abusive – verbal, physical, sexual• Absent• Irresponsible• Rare (few ‘good’ men) • Confused or Lost• Stressed • Angry • Wounded

Indicators of the Crisis

• Poor Performance in Education & at work

• Irresponsibility at home & in relationships

• Growing number of single and searching women

• Corporate concern

How did we get here?1. Fatherhood Crisis

We have an un-fathered, under-fathered and mis-fathered generation.

Fatherlessness increases crime, reduces confidence, multiplies developmental gaps, increases poverty, causes identity crises and affects social stability.

How We Got Here!

2. Neglect of the Boy We assumed the man and the boy were all fine and focused on the girl

3. Cultural Changes From traditional to modern society

4. Death of Rites of Passage Boys lack intentional socialization into manhood

Act Now!

If we are going to change the tide, we must act now to empower the man and focus on the boy.

Why the Boy?

Foundation of Manhood

Has Great Untapped Potential

He is at a Greater Risk: Crime, Radicalization, Developmental gaps

He has lagged behind

Boy in Trouble

Boys are: • 6 times more likely to have learning disabilities• 3 times more likely to be registered drug addicts• 4 times more likely to be diagnosed as

emotionally disturbed • 12 times more likely to murder• 50 percent more likely to die in a car accident

Boy in Trouble• Boys younger than 15 years of age are twice as

likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals.• Boys younger than 15 are five times more likely

than girls to kill themselves.• Boys compromise 90 percent of those in drug

treatment programs.• Boys represent 95 percent of the cases in juvenile

and prisons - Dr. James Dobson, Bringing Up Boys

Way Forward

• National Conversation

• Nation-wide Boys-to-Men mentoring program for all teenage boys

• Work together: caregivers, school, church, social and government institutions

• Continue to empower both GENDER

 

Suggestionsa. Balance out gender in schools (teachers)b. Introduce interventions such as mentoring

boys in schools & corporate programs on men at work

c. Deal firmly with boys’ traps: drugs, crime, pornography among others

d. Have work policies favorable to dads (as well as mums)

Fathers’ Day Event:

March for the Boy! 20/6/2015

To mentor a boy is to secure society!

www.transform-nations.net

CHANGE YOUR REALITY!