Good Guys 3-hour Curriculum
This program explores issues of power and control, gender, self-esteem, masculinity and relationships, all within a Jewish context. The program’s activities and conversations help boys understand what it means to “be a man” in Judaism, and to be able to articulate the kind of man they want to be. By teaching boys about the role they play in creating healthy relationships, while also recognize the pressures boys face in being a ‘strong’ male, we can help equip boys with the skills and understanding to make healthy relationship choices.
Listen to Dr. Jackson Katz discuss the pressure boys face and the importance of the Good Guys program.
Good Guys! is composed of 3 one-hour boys-only sessions and should be led by a male facilitator. If a group is co-ed, the boys and girls are brought together prior to beginning the program and then again at its conclusion - ideas for a co-ed discussion can be found in the facilitator’s guide. While the boys are taking part in Good Guys! the girls should be in their own complementary program, Strong Girls! friendships, relationships & self-esteem.
- Session One: “Being a Man” in Culture and the Media addresses how the messages boys get from culture and the media exert pressure on them to “act like a man” and be tough, silent and emotionless.
- Session Two: Power & Relationships focuses on perceptions of power and status impacting thoughts and behavior, pressure to assert masculinity and gain power through aggression and violence, and the importance of partnership and equality of power in friendships and relationships.
- Session Three: Respect, Responsibility & Positive Masculinity discusses the empowering capabilities of emotional expression, the idea of manhood in Jewish thought and how it differs from popular cultural and media messages, the challenges that boys face in being the “good guy,” and redefining masculinity in a healthy, positive and constructive way.
Testimonials
Laid out very well, can be handed to someone and say “go” as long as he has some experience with group facilitating
It forced boys to think and talk about things they may never have talked before
Boys were more sensitive to what other people think and feel after participating in this program
I would absolutely facilitate this program again. I think that it is a useful tool… for the more open students, it allows them to freely express their thoughts and continue to develop their own ideas about being a good guy. For the quieter students, it plants the seed that allows them to begin to think about how they will address these issues throughout their lives.
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Thank you to our Boys' Programming Advisory Committee
Steven Botkin, Ed.D. Men's Resources International
Dr. Lawrence Cohen, psychologist
Dr. Jackson Katz, Ed.M. Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Strategies
Paul Kivel, Violence Prevention Educator
Randy Parks, psychotherapist and facilitator of MENSCH (MEN for Shalom in the Community and Home)
Rabbi Loren Sykes, Camp Ramah Wisconsin