Build a communal network of adults as an alternative developmental support system for male children¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The paper recommends that communities create a horizontal communal network in which adults assume responsibility for developing young males and their families, regardless of kinship or blood. It states "The communal network functions as an alternative and developmental support system for male children," providing a safety net for the development of all children. The strategy responds to the paper's argument that nuclear and single family forms cannot provide complete nurturing or the connectedness male children need.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Adults assuming responsibilities for the development of young males and their families; a socially supportive environment transcending nuclear, extended, and single family structures

Constraints¶

• The paper argues contemporary American family forms are incapable of developing male children without such community mechanisms

Target Learners¶

• African-American male children and adolescents

Target Learning Goals¶

• Connection, validation, and guidance toward adult roles and responsibility

Related Strategies¶

• Offering Multiple Options for Family Engagement

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Hill, Paul, Jr. (1987). Passage to Manhood: Rearing the Male African-American Child. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED287966