What if we gave boys a different conversation about being a man?

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Boys are constantly receiving messages about who they should be.

 

These come from family, friends, culture, sport, entertainment, social media, online personalities and increasingly, algorithms.

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Messages about strength, success, emotion, respect, women, status and power.

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But how often do we give boys the space — and the tools — to question those messages for themselves?

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Who I Choose to Be is an interactive programme for boys that explores identity, strength, influence, emotions and choice.

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Rather than giving boys another definition of what a man should be, we ask better questions:

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What does real strength look like?

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Where do our ideas about boys and men come from?

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Is being powerful about controlling other people — or being able to manage ourselves?

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Can I feel angry without anger deciding what I do?

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Can I be strong and gentle? Confident and caring? Independent and still ask for help?

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Who influences the person I think I need to become?

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And ultimately:

Who do I choose to be?

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Through conversation, practical exercises and real-world scenarios, boys develop greater awareness of themselves and the influences around them, alongside practical tools for navigating pressure, relationships, difficult emotions and everyday choices

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This work sits beneath the wider What Is a Man? enquiry — creating conversations with boys and men about masculinity that move beyond dominance, restriction and outdated expectations towards self-awareness, responsibility, wholeness and conscious choice

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Because perhaps the question isn't simply:

“What is a man?”

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Perhaps we also need to ask:

“What kind of men are we helping our boys become?”