In this episode of the Giving Black Podcast, we celebrate International Men's Health Week (June 12-18, 2023) and Father's Day (June 20th, 2023). Our guest, Owen Thomas, is Managing Director of Future Men; a multi-award winning charity founded in 1988.
Future Men supports boys and men along the path to becoming dynamic future men, whilst addressing the stereotypes around masculinity and what it means to be a man.
Owen is himself a father to three young women. He has more than 15 years extensive experience working closely with fathers, male carers, boys and men at crucial stages of their lives. He is passionate about addressing stereotypes around masculine culture and identity, and promoting positive well-being and healthy relationships between and among men.
Owen and I are homeboys and OG's (Old Geezers), both of us having been raised in Brixton, South London, around the same time. In this episode, Owen and I talk about our upbringing in the neighbourhood and share how being raised in women centred families formed our early and later outlook on life. We explore what it means to be men of Black and mixed heritage, racial equity, imparting African cultural history to boys and men, and the need for continued collective action towards social justice among Black men.
As we cover the ways to challenge toxic ideas of Black male identity, we land on love being a key requisite of change, and share examples of how love can have lasting and impactful determinants on men and shift the outcome of our lives.
I have made a donation to the work of Future Men. Click here to join me in supporting this important organization.