DadTalk

We need role models for our young men

Families and especially young men need good male role models

I often wonder, when society breaks down, who is to blame. I remember doing a survey on people’s perception on crime and fear of crime. What I found was that a majority were afraid of crime, even though they could not identify one single cause for their fear.

I believe that family has been lost and damaged, the most important institution on this planet. Churches can preach the Gospel, teachers will teach and politicians will pass laws but unless parents work to clean the mess contained in the four walls of their homes, nothing else can compensate or repair the damage caused by the failures within them. Working with young people I often wonder what remedies can cure the dysfunctional nature of our community. Families do not eat together, play games or spend time in leisure activities or visit their extended families. Some parents insult their children and belittle them, giving them low self-esteem. Is it any wonder then that they grow into disrespectful teenagers?

The most important threads that should bond families have now been seduced by the ‘Bling bling’ culture- consumerism and individualistic nature within family. Our families are now entertained and hypnotized by the technological intrusion in our society, erosion of conversation, the ability to debate and the creativity of self-entertainment are all gone.

Liberal attitudes to family life and the replacement of such values with consumerism have caused our young people fail and lag behind academically. The exclusion of our children within the education system has also resulted in a generation of disaffected youths.

Our black men have made it in different fields and have now got to take responsibility to address the causes of our young males' underachievement by supporting or helping them every way possible. Our young men are going through the education system and coming out on the other side and the only thing they know at the end is that they don’t know very much.

Our men need to take on roles and invest their time at least 10 hours a month to help our younger men to learn how to read and write and mentor them so they are able to develop skills fit for later live as well as provide the younger generation with spiritual moral authority.