The Man-Making Blog is a practical and inspirational resource
for people interested in supporting our young males
on their journey to manhood.

January 28, 2014

Two Good Men and The Chicken Story

Recently, a couple of really good men have crossed my (digital) path. Both are already solid man-makers and both want to do more. I'm holding these guys up as models for what men can do when they catch man-making fire. You'll also love the chicken story!


"Doc" Warnock

Larry "Doc" Warnock is a licensed massage therapist working in Wakefield, MA, and the Executive Director of The Student/Athlete Educational Foundation. He has been in private practice for more than 25 years and taught massage at the university level. Part of Doc's practice is teen athletes, helping them to perform better, stay healthy and, when necessary, heal from injuries.

Doc sent me an email in response to the Man-Making Blog post on the film, The Mask You Live In, about the destructive messages our culture gives to young males. Here is part of my exchange with Doc:



Earl, thanks for that blog post. I live on the north shore of Boston, an upper class area where everyone puts on a happy face mask but underneath, there are issues. Because of my work as a sports massage therapist, I've met many young men who've come to me over the last 25 years. Because of the nature of my work, there is a natural trust relationship that creates an opportunity for mentoring.

I see young men from "regular families," but also many from dysfunctional families, single parent homes, and other challenging backgrounds. A lot of these guys use sports as a macho cover when, underneath, many are searching for a trusted connection. Everyone in their lives is an authority figure, and when they meet me, they realize I'm willing to listen and not tell them what they have to do. I find these young men often very willing to share their thoughts and feelings openly and appreciate having someone to talk to about the hard parts of their lives. Sometimes even after an injury is healed, they'd come back for more.

Over the years, I have mentored more than 250 of these young men...and many have stayed connected with me through emails, Facebook, etc. Some are now in their 30's and 40's with families of their own, but they still get in touch when they need someone to talk with. I tell people I have one son and 250 kids!

I have one son and 250 kids!

Several years ago, I was hospitalized for two weeks with pancreatitis. Every night, after visiting hours, 2 or 3 boys from the local high school would show up in my room. Each night I chastised them for breaking the hospital rules. The day I was discharged, I apologized to the nurse. She just looked at me and said, "Are you kidding, we couldn't wait for them to get here. They brought pizza and beverages for the staff." Come to find out, these young athletes had formed a group. Two or three signed up to visit me each day. They would then go back to the school the next morning and post my progress on the bulletin board in the locker room! How could I not get well with this support?

 In addition to "my boys", there are so many boys who are homeless as well. This is really frustrating for me and I have nightmares thinking about what to do about them. I'm sad that there are so many young men out there without a safe and trusted person to listen to them and be there for them. I want to find some way to get some older men to come together in support of young men so the older men can have some of the same experiences I've had. I am 74 and, before going into the nursing home, I will form some sort of group or create some kind of safe place around here for boys! Help!

Larry "Doc" Warnock



In response, I told Doc I loved hearing about his powerful passion for and commitment to young guys. His sense of wanting or even needing to do something in support of young men means he was already "in the game," and doing important man-making work. Once a man gets a sense for the difference he can easily and naturally make in a young man's life, the blinders come off. After that, it's hard not to take the experience of needy young men seriously. You can email Doc at doc@chap.com.



Ashanti Branch
Ten years ago Ashanti founded The Ever Forward Club (EFC), a not-for-profit organization in Oakland, CA. The program was started to support young men of color in high school who were failing 50 percent or more of their classes.


In the last ten years, Ashanti has put together a solid, school-based program that's had an amazing impact on countless numbers of kids, a couple of inner-city schools, and their surrounding communities. You can read more about his amazing statistics at this link and hear a recorded interview I did with him about his work and passion. This guy is clearly on man-making fire. Better than me telling you about him, I'll let Ashanti tell you about himself . . . and the chicken story!


If this clip doesn't show up use this link.



I hope you find these men as inspirational as I do. But don't put them on a pedestal. You would not be reading this if you didn't care about our young men. If you want to talk about what might be possible for you, give me a shout and we'll brainstorm together. I'm certain there is something you can do, right now, to have an important and positive impact on the lives of the young guys in your world. Start small, but do answer the call to service you hear, and see if you don't catch a little man-making fire.



CONTACT: Send Earl a message. I'm very interested in your thoughts on any man-making post or topic. I'm available to help bring man-making initiatives to your community or organization.

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January 18, 2014

Movies for Men and Boys: The Way, Way Back

This review of the film, The Way, Way Back, was contributed by Brian Mier, a Men's and Boys’ Health Promoter with Eagle Health Resources in Melbourne, Australia.



Ultimately, The Way, Way Back is a joyful movie. Generally, the critics gave it a favorable rating, but those of us with a passion for man-making with boys will understand the deeper beauty in what is, at times, a hard story to watch.

In the story, fourteen-year-old Duncan goes on holiday with his divorcee mother, Pam, and her boyfriend, Trent. The boyfriend is a puffed up and over-bearing man who is constantly belittling Duncan in a way which basically constitutes psychological and emotional abuse. As a result, Duncan, who is already shy, isolated, and angry, becomes even more sad and his self esteem sinks even lower.

Feeling (and being) very alone, Duncan takes off on his bicycle to explore the seaside town on Cape Cod. He comes across the Water Wizz water park. The park becomes his escape from the uncomfortable adult antics at his summer home. At the water park, he is befriended and mentored by some very unlikely but very good men (and women). Mentoring occurs in unusual ways and in the most unusual places.

As the film progresses, we watch Duncan grow through his coming of age, young male experiences. He develops a supportive, puppy love relationship with the girl next door. At the park, he begins to have fun, learns some lessons about “women” from the men, he accepts some responsibility, contributes his ideas to the business, and earns some praise in the process. As a result of these experiences, his self-esteem, confidence, and courage all come to life.

The Way, Way Back also has a positive message for parents. It illustrates what psychologist and parenting educator, Steve Biddulph, says is a very important parenting equation, TIME = LOVE. Fortunately, this is exactly the lesson Duncan’s mom Pam learns the hard way.

. . . a very important parenting equation,
TIME = LOVE

Superb acting by perfectly cast actors made this film a joy for me to watch. In the clip from the movie below, you'll get a sample of both the ups and downs of Duncan's summer experience. I confess to having a tear in my eye occasionally because the stories of Duncan’s adolescent adventures were close to home for me and apply to so many adolescent boys. Critics called it “funny and sweet”, but it’s much more than that.

If you really care about teen boys, I think you’ll love this movie.


If this clip doesn't show up use this link.



If you haven't yet had a chance to offer your feedback on this blog, please go to the Annual Man-Making Blog Survey and answer four quick questions. Survey closes the end of January. Your input is very important to keeping this content relevant to you, the readers.



CONTACT: Send Earl a message. I'm very interested in your thoughts on any man-making post or topic. I'm available to help bring man-making initiatives to your community or organization.

SUBSCRIBE: If you're not yet a subscriber to the Man-Making Blog, and you'd like to receive these posts by email 3-4 times a month, use this link for a free subscription.

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TWEET: Send this post along to your friends or follow me on Twitter!

January 13, 2014

Be A MAN! Get Some Balls! Unmasking The Truth

The hot-off-the-press preview of the under-development film, The Mask You Live In, is already rocking the world. It's about the hard messages we, individually and culturally, give to our young guys about how to man up. Beware, the film trailer below is a shot to the gut. You may not like all of it, but with any luck it will start or add to needed discussions about the messages we're giving to our young men.

One of the activities we do with young males on Right of Passage weekends is called "Unmasking the Truth." I can't talk about the process, but I can say it's about reaching out to the young men who often live with pressurized emotional material hiding behind layers of male stereotypes and their version of masculine bravado. Inviting them to take off this "mask," when they are ready, and when they feel it's safe, is a delicate but important challenge.

When it's completed, The Mask You Live In will be an an ". . . exploration of American masculinity." It's targeted for release sometime in 2014.

See what "The Mask" stirs up in you?


If this clip doesn't show up use this link.

The Mask You Live In is from the team that created Miss Representation, a Sundance Film Festival selection. It's a moving story about the same kinds of cultural messages targeted at, and literally shaping, young women today.



If you haven't yet had a chance to offer your feedback on this blog, please go to the Annual Man-Making Blog Survey and answer four quick questions. Your input is very important to keeping this content relevant to you, the readers.



CONTACT: Send Earl a message. I'm very interested in your thoughts on any man-making post or topic. I'm available to help bring man-making initiatives to your community or organization.

SUBSCRIBE: If you're not yet a subscriber to the Man-Making Blog, and you'd like to receive these posts by email 3-4 times a month, use this link for a free subscription.

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January 6, 2014

Aloha, Cultural Mentoring, and Boxing Gangs

Owing to some end of the year travel in Kauai, and the general chaos of the holidaze, I've not posted in a while. Thanks to a growing group of subscribers (you), the pile of suggested topics you've submitted is growing rapidly. Thanks. If you have ideas, suggestions, or stories, please send them to me.

If you haven't yet had a chance to offer your feedback on this blog, please go to the Annual Man-Making Blog Survey and answer four quick questions. Your input is very important to keeping this content relevant to you, the readers.

In this post, I offer two stories about Man-Making. Each offers a different way to reach otherwise lost young men.



Mentoring Fraternity: A mentoring group called Utah Alpha Beaus was started by the members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in Salt Lake. The group serves African-American boys ages 14 to 18 who live in a predominantly white, Mormon culture, in their part of Utah.

The goal of Alpha Beaus is to instill in African-American teens a sense of cultural pride, teach leadership skills and provide role models. They recognize that fathers, without trying, are the source of cultural identity for African-American (or any) young males. When young men don’t have a man in that core role in his life, that source of cultural identity, esteem, and a whole lot of what it means to be a man goes missing.

. . . fathers, without trying,
are the source of cultural identity
for African-American (or any) young males.

If you want to know how AlpaBeaus helps prepare young men "for transitioning from high school to college," contact Dr. Bryan K. Hotchkins at either apapxl@gmail.com or 405.826.3492



Flaxmere Boxing Academy: At the Academy, which is located in New Zealand, they are literally teaching young guys to be members of a gang, a really good gang. Craig McDougall is the head coach of the academy. He owns up to being a 17-year-old who made ". . . some decisions that weren't so positive," particularly around alcohol. Lucky for him, he discovered a love of boxing and contact with,". . . good men that helped mold my life." Now, 20 years on, Mr. McDougall is the one shaping young lives through the sport of boxing.

At the Academy, they say boxing is only the entry point, and from there it's about giving young guys the life skills that can change their lives. The physicality of this approach is the perfect way for young males to burn off their restless energy. The added mentoring by good men helps them to become, as one coach put it, ". . . warriors in the ring and gentlemen out of it." At Flaxmere, they teach the values of self-discipline, respect, honesty, and much more.

In the video clip below, it's fun to see young New Zealand guys stirring up the warrior energy by doing a Maori Haka. It's also fun to hear the story told by one young man when he says, ". . . before this I was sort of a naughty boy, but this has sorted me out . . . , while watching his mom (apparently) hold the workout bag he is punching.

This is another example how a man has grown his personal passion into a pathway where young men can experience high-quality man-making. I'm thinking after watching this clip, most men watching will wish they could have been part of a gang like this growing up!


If this clip doesn't show up use this link.

If you want to learn how another man is making a difference in young male lives, you can contact Craig McDougall in New Zealand through the Flaxmere FaceBook page.



CONTACT: Send Earl a message. I'm very interested in your thoughts on any man-making post or topic. I'm available to help bring man-making initiatives to your community or organization.

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January 1, 2014

The Annual Man-Making Blog Survey

The Man-Making blog has been steadily growing in email subscribers and there are lots of people just dropping by to check it out. While this, by itself, is a great vote of confidence, your feedback to the four-question annual survey below will help me stay on track and, hopefully, increase the blog's interest and relevance for you.

The fourth question is about what I call Idea Sharing. With hundreds of subscribers and countless other visitors to the blog, I'm considering other ways we might learn from each other. I feel the challenge of getting good men to show up for young males is too big and too important for me to be the only voice being heard. My plan is to implement some form of idea exchange early in the new year. Your input here will be very helpful.

If you’re an email subscriber and the survey does not show up below, use this link to go directly to the online survey form.

DON'T FORGET TO HIT THE "SUBMIT" BUTTON AT THE END!

Thanks for your support, and thank you in advance for your feedback. But mostly, thanks for your interest in Man-Making and supporting young males on their journey toward manhood.

Earl Hipp





CONTACT: Send Earl a message. I'm very interested in your thoughts on any man-making post or topic. I'm available to help bring man-making initiatives to your community or organization.

SUBSCRIBE: If you're not yet a subscriber to the Man-Making Blog, and you'd like to receive these posts by email 3-4 times a month, use this link for a free subscription.

LIKE: If you enjoy this blog, please click the "Like" button below to support the Man-Making Facebook page!

TWEET: Send this post along to your friends or follow me on Twitter!