Season five of Breaking the Boy Code introduces two youth co-hosts—Lucas, in grade nine, and Kashyap, in grade eight—who join me as permanent co-hosts to explore masculinity, relationships, and what it means to grow up as a boy today through their own lived experiences.

In this introduction episode, we get to know each other using Next Gen Men’s Cards for Masculinity discussion prompts. From gratitude and friendship to stress and persistence, the conversation moves naturally between the everyday realities of adolescence and bigger questions about being called gay as an insult, the best and worst things about being a boy, and learning how to talk about your mental health when no one’s shown you how.

This project has been supported by Women and Gender Equality Canada.

Breaking the Boy Code is part of the NGM Podcast Network. Next Gen Men is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging boys and men in the movement for gender justice. Learn more about our efforts and how you can support us at nextgenmen.ca. Reach out at boypodcast@nextgenmen.ca or on social media.

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“We carry guilt and regret on the calm blue waters. We carry the carnage of our home. We carry the dreams of our ancestors on our young backs.” — 14-year-old Yoel

I heard back in one of our first recording sessions that the boys who participated in season four of Breaking the Boy Code had written spoken word poems as part of a school assignment—poems where they reflected on their identities and experiences with racism and expectation and past, present, future. There was a lot of pride in their voices, so I said we’d come back the next week and record their poems so that the world could hear them speak from the heart.

First you’ll hear from Betsaleel, then Siddig, then Yoel and lastly Aksayan.

Breaking the Boy Code is part of the NGM Podcast Network. Next Gen Men is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging boys and men in the movement for gender justice. Learn more about our efforts and how you can support us at nextgenmen.ca. Reach out at boypodcast@nextgenmen.ca or on social media.

@boypodcast on Instagram, YouTube and Vimeo
@nextgenmen on Instagram and LinkedIn

You have to imagine us in the school library one last time—wearing masks and sitting six feet apart, having persevered through multiple delays from school closures and the unpredictability of the pandemic—the boys giving their hearts and speaking their truth, joking with each other, learning from each other, and volunteering to imprint part of their adolescence online in a podcast.

As we wrap up season four of Breaking the Boy Code, Betsa, Siddig, Aksayan and Yoel finish their adapted Skills Assessment worksheets from The Umbrella Project and examine what they’ve learned about themselves and each other. They explore their kindergarten memories, how they manage emotions like anger and sadness, and the impact of self-efficacy and masculinity on their lives.

From heartwarming tributes to practical mindfulness tips, this conversation covers the joys, challenges, and cultural significance unique to their individual identities.

And as we sit alongside them, Adrian and I once again witness the enduring resilience of young Black and South Asian boys.

The Umbrella Project, Prepare Your Students for the Rain Of Life →

Breaking the Boy Code is part of the NGM Podcast Network. Next Gen Men is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging boys and men in the movement for gender justice. Learn more about our efforts and how you can support us at nextgenmen.ca. Reach out at boypodcast@nextgenmen.ca or on social media.

@boypodcast on Instagram, YouTube and Vimeo
@nextgenmen on Instagram and LinkedIn