It is not about the R5

Responding to a post from EWN

It is with great sadness and shock that we read an article like this.  As an organisation deeply involved and invested in values coaching and positive masculinity we wonder what the turning point will be (if any) for us to start paying attention to the serious dilemma we are facing when it comes to the male psyche.

History shows that bullying is deeply rooted in our schools and fertile ground for Gender Based Violence (GBV) – it starts with the neglect of our young boys and it leads to violent crime and all along the way we are ignoring the boy child and remaining ignorant of the role that we as a society are playing in this brutality by either contributing or not getting involved.

Stop for a moment and ask yourself this question; “What exactly goes on in the life and mind of an 18 year old to stab a child in the neck and see his life draining from him as his hands are covered in the sticky blood of an innocent boy?”

It is not about the R5, it is about a complete lack of values. It is about the lack of positive male role models that will put their arms around this young man and teach him to be vulnerable about his hurt and anger, to keep him accountable and to lead him into a space of commitMENt to live a life as a protector, a leader, a MENtor and not an abuser or killer.

Think how many lives have been ruined by this and think what we could have done if we stepped into this space with deliberate action – this is on us!

The Character Company (TCC) is leading the fight against fatherlessness for over a decade now – mentoring boys growing up with absent fatherless or no positive male role models in their lives. 

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Together we can reduce stories like this.