The Tribune

THE Diocesan Council of the Anglican Church Men (ACM) will host a one-day ‘Men and Boys Encounter’ at the St John’s College this Saturday. The encounter will be spearheaded by Theofolius Glinton and Joseph Hamilton.

The challenges of crime and violence and the myriad of other social problems facing the Bahamian young men has motivated the members of the ACM in the Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to develop a structured approach to mentoring young boys in our society.

The aim is to give young boys the opportunity to interact with men of the diocese.

The forum will also provide an opportunity for them to engage in discussions on various topics aimed at instilling confidence and inspiring the young boys to develop the character traits endowed by their creator.

ACM Diocesan Council President Kevin Ryan said he was encouraged by the number of boys that attended the initial event and the support he received from members of the ACM branches of New Providence.

Mr Ryan said he felt that the weekend session was successful, not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of the level of interaction between the men and boys.

“It was refreshing to see men sacrifice of themselves to share with our boys,” he said.

Mr Ryan said he and the Council are motivated by the fact that “men have recognised the need to become mentors to our boys and each other, so that we can stem the void that contributes to the extremely high level of moral, social, spiritual degradation experienced in our country today.”

Presenters at last years encounter included Gevon Moss of St George’s Parish and Stephen Bellot of St Ambrose, who led interactive sessions with the young boys who were engaged and willing to participate. The sessions provided frank, open and honest discussions on the challenges facing young men in the world today. It also provided insight on how young men can deal with the challenges, resist peer pressure and become leaders, taking responsibility and being accountable for their actions and decisions.

Executives of the ACM Council have plans to hold similar events in Grand Bahama and other Family Islands in the near future, as St Luke’s Parish in South Eleuthera, where the rector is Father. Bradley Miller, held a similar event last year. The ACM will continue to seek to increase the frequency of the event in New Providence, with a view to positively impacting the development of young boys throughout the country.