Inspired by some of the responses to the recent post on high school boys trending conservative. In particular, I noticed that conversation outside of our community seemed to be focused and very worried about active recruiting of boys from the right. Discussion also frequently suggested that there are no such equivalent efforts or even spaces for boys that may offer a competing feminist perspective.
At least in Germany, especially here in the eastern part where right-wing radicalisation is very prevalent, the lack of adequate street-work (in this sense) and youth centres offers is discussed as a contributing factor. More generally/systemically, I’ve seen arguments that the sudden and wholesale disappearance of previous social structures that engaged youth[1] left the space open for neo-Nazi groups to basically be “the people who are there, who give us something to do and a reason to do it”.
As to what that kind of street-work looks like, even if not offered at nearly enough capacity, here’s an example. It ranges from organising leisure activities to helping kids who have trouble with the law - so that neo-nazis aren’t the ones who are the first to offer their help and win their trust.
[1]: Such as the Protestant Church and the state-controlled youth organisation of the GDR - reminder: what was previously keeping kids engaged doesn’t have to necessarily be good. Something bad can be replaced by something also bad. The point is to replace it by something good.
You need to offer young people fun, low barrier activities - best organised by other young people.
Reinstate shop classes. Stop vilifying manual labor. Even as past time hobbies. The millennial generation in Ontario was the cohort that saw these things cut during the Mike Harris era. Coincidentally it was also the height of the university mindset. Guys grew up just sitting at home all day. Nothing else to do when not trying to grind through university. Sitting there stewing in their own mind. Doom scrolling scary things online. Not good.
Make sportsball a thing again. These generations are of the nerd era where it’s cool to hate jocks and sportsball related things. Sports leagues have their own issues with masculinity but it does get guys out there touching grass.
Nerds turned to wrestling / fight sports for their version recreation league entertainment. Except it made them want to fight in real life. You can’t just go around fighting people in real life so they got all this pent up aggression inside. Recipe for disaster. That’s what I noticed in particular among my own peers in real life.
I may be wrong but I believe these are timeless remedies for at risk youth. Keep them busy doing things out there in the world. They won’t have time for radicalization.
I worry this is a fairly backwards looking perspective on masculinity. Is an association with manual labor and sports really something we should perpetuate? This is a fairly shallow example but what about things like crafts (still constructive and not exclusionary of things like woodworking) and hiking/camping as a grass touching alternative.
I worry this is a fairly backwards looking perspective on masculinity. Is an association with manual labor and sports really something we should perpetuate?
Could you elaborate on that association? I don’t think I get it, especially when it comes to the shop classes (which seems to be the US equivalent of the Tech and Design classes we had where I grew up).
Woodshop is a shop class I took in junior high, and the high schools near me all have strong woodshop programs. Of course, I’m in southern Oregon, a very wood-oriented region, so there’s that. I agree more attention should be paid towards full inclusion in this and other trade-type activities and job tracks. Additionally, manual labor isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Upon a cursory Googling, it looks like sports participation is growing, not shrinking. As a long time teacher, I haven’t noticed any significant change in sports participation in my schools.
My two cents. YMMV