IT WORKS!
Boys to Men has a huge impact on the community it serves. Just look at our stats!
Boys to Men participants report transformation in their daily lives! Boys, mentors, and volunteers alike all benefit from increased connection, a safe place to be themselves, and a deeper sense of belonging. Boys in our program consistently report better grades, have increased attendance, fewer referrals, and higher self-esteem. Our program focuses on emotional intelligence, interpersonal skill-building, and enhanced communication processes that gives boys the tools they need to live happy and connected lives.
“I am totally shocked at how much being a mentor has changed my life. I knew it was working for the boys… and then I started walking my own talk, began expressing myself more outside of circle, and now I live a life of greater integrity and accountability. Boys to Men has taught me to mentor myself and not just the boys.” – Sam, volunteer group mentor
School records show that boys who participated for one school year:
- Improved their GPA by an average of 57%.
- Reduced their discipline referrals by 79%.
- STAYED in school. Boys to Men students had a 0% dropout rate. (The school’s dropout rate was 35.5%.)
In a University of San Diego study of boys who participated in the program:
- 96% said BTM helped them care about people’s feelings.
- 78% said BTM helped them go to school more often.
- 90% said BTM helped them to do better in school.
- 95% said BTM made them feel better about themselves.
- 91% said BTM positively changed how they view their future.
FAQ’s About Mentoring
Over 6,300 boys and men have participated
No, Boys to Men Hawaii has no religious affiliation or religious teachings. We support each boy’s individual spiritual tradition and journey.
Every boy between the age of 12 and 17 is eligible.
The Boys to Men Hawaii program helps boys become better men. All boys need more good men in their lives, even those who have good fathers.
The goal is to give each young man higher self-esteem, an empowered sense of self, and a greater capacity for compassion and empathy – the tools he needs to become a better man. The goal of the program is to produce leaders and productive citizens who manage their emotions, make good choices, and uphold accountability – to become men who are kind and compassionate, educated, financially successful, and participating actively in their families.
The main component of our program is honesty and truth. We go to great length to allow the boys to feel safe and supported. When a young man can open up and be completely honest about what is going on in his life, he can let go of the pain and anger that is holding him back from connecting to himself and others. Then, he can truthfully see how his behavior is affecting himself and those around him and move forward to make better choices motivated by self-care rather than self-destruction.
After one year, about 75% of the boys who have gone through the program are still engaged. Typically those boys will staff the following year’s Boys to Men training. They mentor by being a safe example of how to be courageous, honest and vulnerable.
Adolescence is a critical time when young men face choices that affect them for the rest of their lives. Boys naturally look towards men to challenge, guide, and support them to become good men. The sad fact is that too many young men do not have good men to look up to. They are left to figure out manhood alone. Fatherless families, overcrowded prisons, increasing gang violence, and drug and alcohol abuse are often the result. 72% of the boys in Boys to Men live below the poverty level in single mother homes.