The Spring/Summer 2006 Programme list for the UK’s top action research charity with knowledge and understanding of boys and young men (“Working with Men”) should be of special interest to organisations working with boys and young men from African Caribbean communities.

Recent Research on Boys & Young Men

This half day Seminar to be run by Trefor Lloyd presents a review of current research and developments in work with boys and young men. Themes will include: underachievement, crime, suicide, sexual and mental health, as well as issues such as ADHD, eating disorders and general use of services. This seminar will include opportunities for discussion about the implications for service development and delivery.

Date: Tuesday 11 April

Time: 10am-1pm

Venue: Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Cost: £25

How To Meet the Education Needs of African Caribbean Boys and Young Men

This half day seminar to be run by Melvyn Davis will examine the reasons behind why African Caribbean boys underachieve and offer practical solutions that will make a difference. Past and present research will be examined, alongside personal accounts from parents, teachers and students. Identified models of good practice will demonstrate further known risk and enabling factors that need to be addressed to ensure that black boys realise their full academic potential.

Date: Thursday 20 April

Time:  10am-1pm

Venue: Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Cost: £25

Targeting and Engaging Boys and Young Men

This 2-day course, to be run by Trefor Lloyd, will benefit workers/professionals who would like to be targeting and engaging boys and young men more effectively. It will incorporate discussion on masculinity and why young men are of concern, together with guidance and participatory work on developing practice and effective strategies.

Date:  Tuesday & Wednesday; 25 & 26 April

Venue: The Resource Centre

Cost:  £190 (for 2 days)

Evaluating Projects and Initiatives for Boys and Young Men

Increasingly, funders are looking for evidence that projects and initiatives for boys and young men are effective. This course is for those involved in delivering work with boys and young men and who want to build in appropriate evaluation mechanisms to their work.  This one day course to be run by Trefor Lloyd will demonstrate clearer understanding of evaluation methods; increased understanding of different evaluation approaches and the mechanisms involved; and greater knowledge of and strategies for evaluating their work with boys and young men.

Date: Thursday 11 May

Venue: The Resource Centre , Holloway

Cost: £90

Developing a Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for Boys and Young Men

This one-day course to be run by Neil Davidson will look at components of work with young men on teenage pregnancy and sexual health; review examples of how teenage pregnancy strategies aimed at young men can be developed; and consider the barriers to the inclusion of young men’s work within a teenage pregnancy strategy. Course participants will gain clear understanding of how effective work with boys and young men can be developed;
increase in confidence and ability to ensure that policies are put into practice; and increase in confidence and ability to ensure that work with young men is integrated into teenage pregnancy strategies.

Date:  Thurs 18 May

Venue: The London Volunter Resource Centre, Holloway

Cost: £90

Fathers’ Involvement in Children’s Centres

This one day course is to be run by Trefor Lloyd.  To date, a mixture of fathers’ reluctance and agencies’ inexperience at targeting and engaging fathers has meant that most Sure Start programmes have not involved more than a handful of fathers. Children’s Centres will be expected to increase the involvement of fathers, and this course will help those developing family support programmes to target and engage fathers effectively. Course participants will gain greater awareness of the impact that fathers can have on their children; knowledge of ways of working with fathers and in increase in their confidence in engaging and working with fathers; and increased understanding of how to develop services targeting fathers.

Date: Tuesday 23 May

Venue:  Directory of Social Change, Charity Centre, Euston, London

Cost: £90

Working with African Caribbean Young Men

This interactive two day course is to be run by Melvyn Davis.  It will help professionals to engage and unlock the potential of black boys of African Caribbean descent. Issues such as why so many African Caribbean boys get lost, confused or never quite seem to make the grade or realise their potential, will be discussed, as well as the risk and enabling factors that distract or empower black boys to underachievement or success. Course participants will gain increased awareness of the challenges that African Caribbean black boys face and knowledge of practical solutions to deal with these challenges; greater understanding of issues and relationships between identity, masculinity, racial heritage and parenting; and the ability to reassess potential problems through a fresh new paradigm.

Date: 5 & 6 June

Venue: The London Volunteer Resource Centre, Holloway

Cost: £190

Evaluating Fathers’ Projects and Initiatives

This one day course run by Simon Forrest will cover information, participatory work and discussion on the variety of models, structures and methods for the evaluation of projects, programmes and initiatives which target fathers.

Course participants will gain an overview of the different forms of evaluation of work targeting fathers and methods that might be used in undertaking them ;increased awareness on the kinds of agencies and professionals who might be involved in targeting fathers; understanding of the ethical issues, role of monitoring and other forms of record keep as part of the evaluation process; and understanding of the use of evaluative processes as part of organisational and project development

Date: Friday 9 June

Venue: Directory of Social Change, Charity Centre, Euston, London

Cost:  £90

Managing Work with Boys and Young Men

This one day course to be run by Trefor Lloyd is for those involved in managing the delivery of work with boys and young men.  Course participants will gain clearer understanding of boys’ socialisation and masculinity; increased understanding of a range of methods that work with boys and young men; and increased knowledge of and strategies for managing work with boys and young men:

Date: Thursday 15 June

Venue: London Volunteer Resource Centre, Holloway

Cost: £90

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