Workforce Development
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.
If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
If you value a man only for his fish, you starve him when his nets are empty.
The Center for Men and Boys in Social Policy offers you the power of a paradox. By not focusing exclusively on men’s economic production we actually equip and motivate men to become more economically productive.
Many of men’s barriers to successful long-term employment have a significant gender component. The need for instant gratification, the urge for “bling” and ostentation, the belief that life will be short and harsh, the retreat into drugs and alcohol are often part of the male experience. Unpacking these forces and seeing how they are connected not just to issues of race, poverty and class but also to gender gives men a chance to understand and address the forces in their lives in new, more accurate, direct, productive and effective ways.
The result is that men are more steady and balanced, more likely to look for work, get work, keep their jobs and advance over the long-term — even if their nets might sometimes come up empty.
