Boys to Men Conference

The Men of the Rho Zeta Lamba Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated under the leadership of the Director of Education, Bro. Jeremiah Bundy, hosted its second annual Boys to Men 2 Conference for the Alpha Quest Youth Mentoring Program (A.Q.Y.M.P.).   

For many young men, personal and social challenges are causing harmful effects on psychological and emotional development. The “Boys to Men 2” event was designed to combat these challenges by providing education, motivation, and skill-building on issues related to the three pillars of: Social Media Benefits and Pitfalls; Healthy Relationships and Sexual Awareness; and Positive Mental Health Awareness. 

The Social Media Benefits and Pitfalls talks gave the Questers strategies on how to deal with social media including: understanding that what goes out on social media cannot be taken back; navigating the thin line between social media exposure and sacrificing privacy; and knowing that social media is an option but if used it should be used for the positives it allows. The Questers were also treated to a real-life example of the pitfalls of social media by Khaalid Muhammad who detailed how his college career was negatively affected by a cyber bullying incident.  The 23 young men in attendance were very attentive to the speakers and interacted with the speakers.

The Healthy Relationships and Sexual Awareness session gave the Questers an opportunity to discuss: the definition of Manhood and the values that help with that definition; what healthy relationships are and what they look like; and navigating the relationship with your friends and family by setting boundaries and being true to yourself.  For the sexual awareness sessions, the young men were broken into two groups with each having robust discussions appropriate for their age and maturity level.  

Lastly, the discussions on Black Men and Positive Mental Health Awareness gave the Questers an opportunity to discuss and learn the awareness and symptoms of different mental illnesses and the treatment options available for those illnesses.  They were also given strategies to help them foster positive mental health practices.

The Boys to Men 2 Conference was a rousing success as the 23 young men in attendance learned valuable life lessons to help them navigate the long and arduous road to adulthood as a Black Males.  The conference could not have come off without the work and assistance of many people. Kudos to Brothers Reggie Greenwood and Azrael Muhammad who were the Team Leads for this event.  Kudos to Brothers Montgomery Proffit and Dar’tavous Dorsey who were vital to the overall planning and design of the conference.  Kudos to all our volunteers to worked tirelessly to ensure our young men were well fed, well informed on a number or topics, and feeling safe and comfortable enough to share themselves with us. 

As always, our work is dedicated “to the youth who march onward and upward toward the light” because in the words of Bro. Frederick Douglass “it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”.