09:00-09:30     Registration and morning refreshments

Session One: Why boys will be boys?

09:30-09:50     Chair’s Welcome Address
David Devenney, Development Manager, Fathers Network Scotland

09:50-10:35     Interactive session: Making it better for boys…

• Pivotal points of development
• Why ‘physical first’ really is the key to learning especially for boys
• Balancing ‘Developmentally Appropriate Practice’ with the challenges and expectations placed upon early years, educators, teachers and parents

Ali McClure, Author, Teacher Trainer and Consultant, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and Training Director for NEYTCO (National Early Years Trainers and Consultants)

10:35-10:55     Boys, Mental Health and Supporting Each Other

• Mental health is part of everyone’s day to day life but there is still a stigma around it. To tackle this properly people need to understand that it is okay not to be okay and you can talk about it
• Boys are not encouraged to speak about how they are feeling. If someone is struggling with their mental health they can try and hide it, which can make a problem worse
• The latest figures on suicides in Scotland show that men are still two and a half times more likely than women to take their own life (672 suicides in total)
• If you’re worried about someone, you don’t have to be an expert, just asking someone if they are okay and really listening can be a powerful thing

Laura Sharpe, Education and Young People’s Manager, See Me

10:55-11:10     Opportunities for questions and discussion

11:10-11:30     Tea and coffee break, opportunities for networking

Session Two – Engaging with our boys

11:30-11:50     Where are all the boys? Identifying and responding to male victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE)

• Develop a greater understanding of CSE and how this impacts on boys and young men
• Recognise the additional vulnerabilities to CSE for boys and men
• Consider the benefits and barriers to working with boys and young men at risk of CSE

Daljeet Dagon, Barnardo’s Scotland National Programme Manager for Child Sexual Exploitation and Children’s Services Manager, PACe and Safer Choices

11:50-12:00     Opportunities for questions and discussion

12:00-13:00     Interactive session: A need to invite, not indict

• Most boys see the harm in the behaviours of some of their peers but still remain silent. Why is that?
• Young people are exploring their sex, sexuality and gender in a sexually toxic environment
• We need a positive approach to invite boys into a conversation. Indicting them will not work, it never has

Graham Goulden, Director, Cultivating Minds UK

13:00-13:45     Lunch and opportunities for networking

Session Three – The role of the ‘man’

13:45-14:15     Young men, masculinity and role models

• Many ‘at risk’ young men have had difficult relationships with their fathers, and more supportive relationships with their mothers and other female relatives
• Young men who are ‘at risk’ are often caught up in local cultures of ‘hypermasculinity’ which are damaging to themselves and others
• Young men with troubled histories need relationships of care, consistency and commitment to help them make the transition to more positive masculine identities

Dr Martin Robb, Senior Lecturer, School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care, The Open University

14:15-15:00     Interactive session: Is pornography poisoning our boys?

• Is it true that online pornography is “corrupting an entire generation?”
• A look at the scientific evidence behind the media and political hysteria, plus Martin shares intimate experience of working with young addicts
• The unique role of men, and especially dads, in helping form a new moral template for healthy boys

Martin Daubney, Award-winning Editor, Journalist, Broadcaster and Co-founder of The Men & Boys Coalition

15:00-15:40    Panel and audience discussion – Making the future a positive place for boys

An open and interactive forum to discuss what has been raised throughout the day. What lessons can we take forward into our work or home life to ensure boys have the best environment and confidence to grow?

Featuring:

• David Devenney, Development Manager, Fathers Network Scotland
• Ali McClure, Author, Teacher Trainer and Consultant
• Graham Goulden, Director, Cultivating Minds UK
• Dr Martin Robb, Senior Lecturer, School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care, The Open University
• Martin Daubney, Award-winning Editor, Journalist, Broadcaster and Co-founder of The Men & Boys Coalition
• Douglas Guest, National Lead, Scotland for Mankind project

15:40-15:45     Chair’s Round-up and Closing Remarks