America is grappling with an unprecedented mental health crisis, especially during the Christmas season. According to a survey conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64% of people living with a mental illness said their conditions worsened during the holidays. Depression now affects nearly 33% of Americans and drug-related deaths have increased by 30% since 2021. And like the canary in the coal mine of society, males are being hit particularly hard. Men account for four out of five suicides in the U.S. and twice the drug-related deaths as compared to women. The most rapidly growing suicide rate demographic is boys from the ages of 10 to 14.
Trail Life USA, the largest Christian scouting alternative for boys in America, has a deep understanding of the societal ills plaguing males. Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA, attributes these ills to four critical issues. First, many boys are unguided.
Hancock observed, “Boys in particular, lacking positive male role models, wonder what it means to be a man. They are largely unguided in this effort, as 89% of elementary level teachers are female, and nearly 21% of boys live in a home without a father present. While girls benefit from present and successful female role models that point them toward who they can be, boys lack these examples and are left to wonder, ‘Who can I be like?’”
A second problem is the cultural erosion of absolute truths that historically provided boys with the foundation they need to reach their potential.
“George Barna tells us that ‘…only 14 percent of born-again adults… rely on the Bible as their moral compass and believe that moral truth is absolute.’ Without absolutes, it’s impossible to speak to boys about right and wrong. How can identity and purpose be built without a foundation? Boys are left ungrounded. ‘What are the boundaries?’ they wonder.”
Hancock continued, “Add to that the gender-blurring that discounts the strengths of the specific sexes, and boys are left feeling unappreciated. Because a great deal of traditional school is geared toward the natural strengths of girls, boys are behind in every academic category. Their unique needs aren’t acknowledged in a setting that rewards students who can ‘sit still, be quiet, and pay attention.’”
Finally, boys are facing a critical lack of inspiration.
Hancock shared, “A generation of ‘participation trophies’ and lessening physical activity through the reduction of recess at school has led to risk and competition playing a lesser role in their environment. Boys tend to disengage when there isn’t something at stake, leading them to be uninspired. ‘Why try?’ ask the boys.”
For Trail Life USA, the solution to these ills is clear: a return to Biblical principles.
Hancock said, “In order to halt and reverse the tragic trend of lost identity and purpose, we must insist on meeting these critical needs. We must help establish in our sons a hope for their future, driven by the construct of a self-identity that is more esteeming than the hope-sabotaging identity they get from their culture. Their hope of a meaningful future and the security of a purposeful identity is found in God’s provision of a baby in a manger. The Christ-child Jesus who came, not only to show us what God is like, but to show us what WE can be like — to show us what it looks like for the Spirit of God to be active in the body of a man.”
- “Boys are guided as they look to the example Jesus gives.”
- “They are grounded as they understand the absolutes embodied by the Word of God that became flesh and dwelt among us.”
- “All are appreciated and valued as they come to understand the incomparable gift of Christ.”
- “They are inspired as the call to love others is so clearly expressed in the birth and life of Jesus.”
Hancock summarized, “‘Emmanuel’ means ‘God with us.’ And our highest call to boys can be to embrace the example and understand the identity entrusted to them. In this season, we can remind our sons that their value isn’t in the identity placed upon them by a conflicted society, but in the never-changing identity of the greater One who now, through the miracle of His birth and the offer of salvation, can be Christ in us, the hope of glory. And there is no higher hope than that.”
Trail Life USA has received praise from some of today’s top Christian voices, including Focus on the Family, Franklin Graham, James Dobson, Mike Huckabee, Alex and Stephen Kendrick, Family Life, Promise Keepers, the American Family Association, and many others.
Trail Life USA?is the premier national character development organization for young men, producing godly and responsible husbands, fathers, and citizens.?Trail Life’s?mission is to guide generations of courageous young?men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others, and experience outdoor adventure.?Troops exist in all?50 states and are?growing as?Trail Life USA?expands around the country. Find a Troop today, or Start a Troop in your community. Find out more at TrailLifeUSA.com.
