The boy's forum: An evaluation of a brief intervention to empower middle-school urban boys

Programs for middle-school boys are needed because data suggests that young adolescent males have problems as they grow and develop. Few gender role interventions for boys have been evaluated or published in the professional literature. Conceptual justification for boy's programs is given using psychosocial theory, gender role transitions, multicultural aspects of masculinity, and positive/healthy masculinity. A short term, inexpensive intervention, "The Boy's Forum," was implemented for middle-school boys who were predominately Hispanic and African American. The Boy's Forum explained the hazards of growing up male (Goldberg, 1977) but also emphasized positive masculinity through empowerment, emotional awareness, and personal problem solving. The use of media, group discussions, empowerment themes, and adult self-disclosure to promote boy's psychosocial growth are described. Evaluation of the program occurred before the program, immediately after the program and three weeks later. Results indicate that a majority of boys attending the Boy's Forum reported that the programming positively affected their thinking, feelings, and to a lesser extent their behaviors over a three-week period. Limitations of the evaluation of this program, recommendations for future research, and the need for future curricular development for boys are discussed.