Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club Hosts Day of the Boy

On October 12th, the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club held a special event just for the boys of Akwesasne. The day prior was International Day of the Girl and although it was not an international day of the boy, organizations took it upon themselves to include the boys of Akwesasne.

Young males also go though some mistreatment and challenges while growing up, and having the tools to cope is one of the best gifts that the community could offer them. The Seven Dancers Coalition, Three Sisters Programs and Wholistic Health put together an event aimed directly towards the young men of Akwesasne. The idea was to teach them to respect themselves and others, including any future partner they may have. The event was aimed toward boys 12 and older, although some were younger; there were still things they learned from the event.

The event started with Pray Lazore speaking with the young men about the Creation Story, while teaching them to make their own medicine pouch. The boys were given examples of different situations and shown the skills on how they could make a good choice. Mr. Lazore also spoke to the boys about each medicine that they put inside of their pouch, and the importance of each one.

Once the boys were done with their pouches, Hannah Lee from Planned Parenthood spoke with them about abstinence and consent. The boys also got to go home with a goody bag filled with information about the different topics covered throughout the event. The boys were given their own journals and a book called "How to Talk to a Child About Sex", which was written for boys who are not able to, or are too shy to ask their parents/guardians questions.

This was the first event of its kind, but it will not be the last. There are plans of having more events to coincide with the International Day of the Girl.