Young Men Face a Crisis

[applegrove]

4. Yes. Trans kids have it the worst but the solution

for these lost men/boys is not to ignore it but renewed civic engagement and mentorship by successful men (successful in being a man I mean, be it a car mechanic or a male nurse or a lawyer). Around the 1920s and 1930s my great grandfather would have young men come over after dinner and go to his library with him to talk over the issues of the day (in Canada). That is how it was done.. giving back. My great grandfather was a federal justice and before that a Member of Parliament (plus as an MP and MPP for 20 years he made virtually no money as he got paid a pittance, got a free rail pass and had to pay for two rented households, one in Ottawa, one in his riding of Halifax South. He never owned a home and his widow had a hard time making ends meet after he died. She lived with her daughter who worked full time, but still my married grandmother helped her mom out). He stood in as a judge trying Supreme Court cases when there was not a full slate. He had lots of experience. (His wife and two daughters were great readers too and he encouraged that and they talked politics and history at the dinner table as we did growing up - Ottawa is such a political city). But his way of giving back was to start an ongoing discussion with different young men. His grandson, my dad, did that with me when I got home from university. Nothing like a one on one mentorship though it can take many forms.