Spotlight: Boys With A Purpose

I first heard of Boys With a Purpose from my Instagram explore page. It caught my eye because I was struck by how cute the group of boys were in their fancy suits. As I looked into it more, I fell in love with the fact that this organization provides a well-rounded education for real life, not just academic success.

Founded in 2016 by South Carolina school teacher Raymond Nelson, Boys With A Purpose teaches young boys in 1st – 5th grade “how to dress, conduct themselves like gentlemen, and ultimately find their purpose in life.”

I love that the organization takes into account the importance of dressing for success. Growing up a fan of What Not To Wear, I believe in the power of external presentation in reflecting who you are inside, and showing up as the best version of yourself. As I heard someone once say, “Getting dressed is the one social convention everyone has to participate in.” What you wear is how you participate in the broader conversation of visual communication. What a wonderful thing to teach young boys: how to express themselves eloquently through appearance!

From here, it follows that the boys learn to conduct themselves like gentlemen: Dress the part, act the part. Every child can benefit from learning foundational life skills such as “how to properly shake hands, open doors, make eye contact and address someone older with respect.” Especially because these are subtle skills that aren’t formally taught at school. Most people with these skills have learned them implicitly from a parent or caregiver at home, or perhaps a mentor who played a special role in their life.

Boys With A Purpose helps to level the playing field by giving young men without such figures the opportunity to learn the skills that might not necessarily be available to them elsewhere. This healthy modeling sets the boys up for success in the classroom; at home; their first job interviews; work; not to mention their relationships with friends, family, teammates, partners, colleagues, employers, and more.

With the foundational life skills taken care of, it becomes so much easier to know one’s purpose… which is what Boys With A Purpose seems to truly be about at its core. Knowing their purpose, these young boys can weather any storm, move forward with clear direction, and stay true to themselves as they grow up in this wild and wonderful world. And I think that’s something we all wish, for all children.

To conclude this post, I’ll share the Boys With A Purpose mission statement:

To inspire, influence and empower young men to focus on their life’s purpose, while imparting wisdom that will allow them to be productive and effective citizens in their communities and in the world.

I’d say they’re doing a great job delivering on their mission. Check them out at the links below and support them today!

What other organizations do you support that do similar work? Please let me know!

Learn More about Boys With A Purpose

Website: https://www.boyswithapurposesc.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boyswithapurpose/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boyswithapurpose/

DONATE: https://www.boyswithapurposesc.org/donate

P.S.

The importance of a strong male mentor has been hailed many times before, but I was recently struck again by its significance in an episode of Oprah’s Masterclass featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In it, he shares his personal account of time importance one particular male mentor had in shaping the course of his life. It’s actually a great episode so if you have time, listen to the whole thing! (On a personal note: Having grown up without a father, I find it so nourishing to listen to a fully realized man share his wisdom, which is probably why this one resonated so hard with me.)

If you’re into that if you have a lot of time, get Oprah’s Masterclass from wherever you listen to podcasts and check out some of the other episodes. (Some of my favorites are Jane Fonda, LL Cool J, Lenny Kravitz, Jay-Z, Reba McEntire, Patti Labelle, and Kevin Hart.)