Every day, it seems, we hear about another mass shooting. Usually, the killer is a lone young white male who’s been damaged by a bad home life or been bullied. Did you know that 90 percent of the acts of violence in America are committed by boys and men? Did you know that one in four women in America experience violence by a partner at some point in their lives?

The former President of the United States provided a horrible role model for boys and men, because of his sexist approach to women and his bullying response to anyone who didn’t march to his tune, even if it meant leading an insurrection on the capital to overthrow a legitimate election.

Maine Boys to Men, founded in 1998, has taken innovative steps to support the positive and nonviolent development of boys. Its mission reads, “We address the development of boys in the context of their relationship, socialization process and cultural environments. Beginning at very early ages, boys are bombarded by narrow, confusing and often destructive messages about masculinity. We believe it is not the boys but rather the culture in which they live and grow that is in need of repair. While holding boys and men to a higher degree of individual accountability, we also put an appropriate level of focus on the environment — families, schools, community organizations and peer culture — as the key agents of change in the lives of boys.”

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Danny Mejia, program director at Maine Boys to Men. Danny, a Minnesota native who graduated from Bowdoin College in 2017, spent the summers after his junior and senior years interning with the organization. As a Bowdoin student, he was also an active member of the Men’s Group, which sponsors weekly discussions of masculinity.

“At Maine Boys to Maine, we bring people together to try to combat gender-based violence,” he explains. “How can we come together to see the humanity in other people? How can we reduce violence? How can we convey a message of hope?”

Maine Boys to Men has created several programs to fulfill its mission. The Reducing Sexism & Violence Program (RSVP) sponsors workshops for boys in middle schools and for all genders in high schools. The Activism in Action Program leads free youth-led training for any Maine high school student, The Youth Advisory Council, composed of 14- to 24-year-olds, provides intentional youth voice and presence. There are workshops for educators and coaches. On the digital front, there’s “The Youth Take,” a Maine Boys to Men Podcast. /the organization is also a proud member of the Violence Prevention Network, a collaborative of violence prevention programs in Cumberland County.

The organization’s Spring 2022 Report indicated that 104 youth-serving adults had been reached through educators and coaches workshops and that 900 youth had been reached through RSVP workshops.

Danny Mejia’s passion and perseverance extend to another arena: long distance walking and running. During the summer of 2018 he hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, covering the 2,190-mile trail in 127 days. The next summer he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Coast Tail in 127 days, covering over 20 miles a day. With a college friend helping him plan the strategy, he’s currently covering every street in Portland Maine, which encompasses several hundred miles. And, oh yes, he’ll be running in a “Last Man Standing Ultramarathon” this fall, in which runners must cover four miles every hour until there’s only one runner left.

I came away from my meeting with Danny Mejia with two impressions: (1) America would have much less violence if there were more programs that share the mission of organizations like Maine Boys to Men; and (2) We need more young men like Danny Mejia who demonstrate the real meaning of masculinity.

For more information on Maine Boys to Men go to maineboystomen.org.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.

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