In the fall of 2015, a middle school principal in Clark County cooperated with local dads to put on what they called Man U (Man University) for boys in 8th grade. This occurred in Washougal, a city of 17,000 people located twenty minutes east of Vancouver, Washington.
Jemtegaard Middle School principal David Cooke focused the Man U program on 8th graders because the transition from middle school to high school can be make-or-break in terms of one’s trajectory toward positive outcomes or negative ones. Cooke had observed that too many of the boys in his district lacked confidence, motivation, and — most crucially — father figures and positive male role models.
Cooke had noticed a dramatic turnaround in a boy at his school after the boy attended a scouting camp led by Travis Liston, a local football coach and scoutmaster. Cooke asked Liston if he could do whatever he did with that boy with dozens more boys in Washougal. Liston then took the lead on putting something together. They decided to call it Man U.
Successful Man U 101 kickoff event
Principal David Cooke, Coach Travis Liston, and volunteers successfully pulled off the Man U 101 kickoff event on November 5, 2015. A four-minute video capturing the events of that day is on YouTube. Those with empathy for the plight of the struggling but overlooked young man can be brought to tears watching 8th graders being instilled with honor, brotherhood, and growth — Man U’s tagline. (Another Man U slogan: do hard things.)
The description below the video on YouTube encapsulates what the program was about:
In our quest to answer the four questions below, a group of school professionals and engaged fathers have created Man U (Man University). We created a series of special events for our 8th grade young men. These high-energy events will provide exposure to positive role models, help them learn new skills, and build strong connections with peers and adults. Our goal is to strengthen the brotherhood between our 8th grade boys so they will be a positive and productive force for each other when they enter high school. Their growing leadership will also have an impact on the middle school students as well. Our goal is to have this become a rite of passage at both schools for years to come.
Questions we considered:
1. How do we help our boys become successful young men?
2. How do we build a strong group of young men so that they not only become leaders at the middle school but also transition successfully to high school?
3. How do we support our boys who do not have male role models in their lives?
4. How do we help our boys build a support system that encourages healthy decisions as they mature?
Climbing walls, using tools, first aid skills
The Man U 101 kickoff event was a hit with the 81 boys who participated. Activities facilitated by men from the community included group problem-solving exercises, tug of war, a wall climb, changing a tire, using tools, tying knots, first aid, and outdoor survival skills.
An article covering the event in The Columbian quoted Principal Cooke:
“One of the reasons kids make poor decisions — whether it’s not taking their grades seriously or getting involved in drugs and stuff like that — is they don’t have a good support system. If I can spread the support system among all these boys and build leaders among them, then the chances they’ll get involved in bad things greatly decreases.”
At the time Man U 101 was carried out, a similar program for the district’s 8th grade girls was slated to start two months later. That did not occur, nor did subsequent Man U events. However, many of the ideas gleaned from Man U became the foundation for Jemtegaard’s award-winning after school program.
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