The impact of artificial intelligence and digital environments on boys, their mental health, family relationships and sense of belonging were among the issues examined at The New York Boys & Men Conversation, convened by the Boys Lead Foundation in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly.
The gathering brought together practitioners and leaders from education, technology, mental health, family development and youth development to consider how rapidly changing social and technological environments are influencing the development of boys and young men.
A key concern was the growing role of digital spaces in shaping how boys learn, communicate, build relationships and form their identities. Participants considered both the opportunities technology creates and the responsibilities of families, schools, technology companies and other institutions in helping young people navigate an increasingly digital world.
Mental health and belonging also featured prominently, with attention on the environments in which boys grow and the relationships available to them. Participants examined how families, schools and communities can respond more effectively to the social and emotional needs of boys as they move into adulthood.
Other issues included migration, access to opportunity, education and the need for greater coordination between the institutions influencing boys’ lives.
Contributors included Owolabi Williams, Praise Fowowe, Modupe Adara, Joe Jones and Stephen Tosh, with Debby Awoyemi as moderator.
For Owolabi Williams, Founder of Boys Lead Foundation and BEXT Institute for Boys and Men, the responsibility for boys’ development cannot rest with one sector.
“The future of boys cannot be assigned to one sector,” Williams said. “Education, technology, families, health systems, employers and public institutions are already shaping boys together. The question is whether we will begin acting together.”
The gathering also marked the launch of Williams’ book, The Boys We Build, The Nations We Become, which explores the relationship between how boys are raised and the kind of men, families, communities and societies they eventually become.
The book extends the questions raised around the role of systems and relationships in shaping boys, particularly at a time when technology is increasingly influencing childhood and adolescence.
Boys Lead Foundation has reached more than 20,000 boys and young men across Nigeria, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other locations through mentorship, leadership development, education, character formation, entrepreneurship, skills development and community engagement.
Its wider initiatives include the Global Boys Summit, Boypreneur initiative and Global Boys Development Framework, which focus on strengthening support for boys and young men.
The organisation and the BEXT Institute for Boys and Men are now working towards a proposed Global Commitment on Boys and Young Men and an accompanying Global Action Framework. The initiative is expected to bring together young people, practitioners, researchers, governments, schools, technology leaders, funders and civil society organisations around measurable action in education, technology, health, family, skills, employment, justice and public policy.
