This Boy Can

On Friday 5th May, Homewood School dedicated a day, aptly named ‘This Boy Can,’ for 140 Year 10 boys to discuss the topic of mental health through conversation-provoking activities and sports.

Sadly, statistics show 84 men take their lives every week in the UK, but the subject of male mental health is often neglected and overlooked. ‘This Boy Can’ was a day of activities with external coaches and speakers, aimed at raising awareness across school and helping boys to understand that it is healthier to open up and talk and be more aware of their emotions than shutting down and not talking.  

Toxic masculinity has been a hot topic over the past few years, particularly with the controversial influencer Andrew Tate who has a high profile on social media, gaining attention and influence among young people. Despite this, not many organisations have taken an active role in attempting to address some of the negative influences being pushed on to young boys. 

Homewood School has become renowned for its successful pupil focused events, like ‘This Girl Can' that was organised earlier in the year. On Friday, the boys were split into a series of activities including the benefits of keeping themselves physically and mentally healthy alongside the importance of boys being more open about their feelings and emotions. External coaches and speakers ran classes and workshops such as self-defence, developing resilience, rugby, boxing, and a fitness wellness workshop designed to teach the boys coping strategies on how to deal with depression, anxiety, stress and the general day-to-day stresses life throws at them.

Miss Beament, the organiser of the school initiative and the sports teacher said, “The purpose of the day was really to demonstrate to the students that school is not just about getting good grades, it’s about developing as young adults and becoming the best versions of themselves. We designed the day to help boys to learn about their emotions and give them tools to become mentally stronger. Young people who understand their emotions and have the coping skills to deal with them will be more confident that they can handle whatever life throws their way.”

Local celebrity, Mr Doodle, donated prize goodie bags full of his merchandise as a gesture of support for the initiative, having been a past student at Homewood School and openly talking about his struggles with mental health. 

One Year 10 student stated, “This Boy Can really made me think about my role as an active bystander, and making sure that I’m calling out behaviour when I don’t think it’s right. There was good discussion about gender stereotypes and it made me think about the man I want to be when I’m older.”

The ‘This Boy Can’ and ‘This Girl Can’ are annual days run by Homewood School to help improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of students.