This past Tuesday I begun what will be an 8-week after-school mentorship program sponsored and organized by the YWCA of Vancouver. The program, called “Boys 4 Real”, is targeted at grade 7 students who are preparing to make the transition to high school. I heard about the program through a friend, and immediately leapt at the opportunity.
I am near-absolutely sure that I don’t want to have children, but I still believe deeply that adults should be involved in the raising of children – or, more accurately, that children are a part of our society and should be integrated rather than segregated. My father grew up with multiple ‘parents’ – people who were not his biological relations but who nevertheless took responsibility for his upbringing and well-being. I spent my middle childhood on a street with lots of children my age, meaning that their parents were often acting as my surrogate parents. I think it makes more sense than a ‘nuclear’ and closed-off model where children are essentially the property of their two guardians rather than participants in the world as adults are. I think kids do better when they have rich social networks with lots of points of contact and perspectives on life, and I think it’s better for all of us, regardless of age to remain connected to our most vulnerable selves. … Continue Reading
Crommunist 