The tagline of the On Boys podcast is Real Talk about Parenting, Teaching, and Reaching Tomorrow’s Men. Last week the hosts released an episode titled “Advocating for Boys” in which they interviewed Blair Daly, founder of Washington Initiative for Boys and Men. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Topics discussed include why boys need advocacy, challenges advocating for boys and men, developing and demonstrating diverse support for boys, how to talk about boys’ issues, the power of local advocacy, why moms of boys are such great advocates for boys, and how to start advocating.
Janet Allison (Boys Alive!) lives in Oregon and Jennifer LW Fink (Building Boys) resides in Wisconsin. Last year Jennifer released her book Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World that Misunderstands Males.
‘Blair Daly is working to change the status quo’
Below is a partial transcript of the podcast episode.
Janet Allison: Why are there no governmental commissions working on behalf of Boys and Men? We’re diving in. This is the ON BOYS Parenting Podcast. We are your co-hosts, Jennifer LW Fink of buildingboys.net, and I’m Janet Allison of boysalive.com. Thanks for being here.
Jennifer LW Fink: There are no governmental commissions working on behalf of boys and men in the United States. Not at the federal level and not at the state level. Fifty states, not one.
Even though boys lag behind girls in academic achievement, and boys and men experience suicide, murder, drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and early death at disproportionately high rates. And even though there are multiple commissions dedicated to addressing and advancing the needs of girls and women.
You know that I’m a woman. I support commissions and research helping women. And I believe, as does Janet and as do our listeners, that boys and men need and deserve attention and care as well.
Today’s guest, Blair Daly, is working to change the status quo. He is the founder of Washington Initiative for Boys & Men, which advocates for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities. Welcome, Blair.
Blair Daly: Thank you. Nice to be with you.
Jennifer LW Fink: Tell us about Washington Initiative for Boys & Men. What do you do and why do you do it?
Blair Daly: What I do is a combination of advocacy journalism and grassroots political organizing and advocacy. On the advocacy journalism side, I have a website, wibm.us, where on about a weekly basis I post a new article or a video. I basically think of myself as a media outlet that’s locally focused, just on Washington State.
I want to tell stories, both that are positive about boys and men. For example, ways in which they contribute to their families and communities, and ways in which we rely on boys and men. As well as I write some of those sadder stories that are pointing out ways in which perhaps we’re neglecting the needs and well-being of our male population.
Then on the grassroots political organizing side, for about three years I’ve been building up a network of people here in my state, who share my passion for ensuring that our boys and men are thriving as much as they can be, and who are willing to advocate in the political arena. I’ve seen that the male population, I think, could be described as an under-advocated for population group. There’s very little organized political advocacy. I found that I was in a position to try to make a difference there.
Our largest project on the political advocacy front is trying to get a state commission on boys and men.
How did you get into this work?
Jennifer LW Fink: How did you get into this work? To our listeners, you can’t see Blair. Blair, you are a white guy. You are younger than me and Janet. What brought you to this work?
Blair Daly: I started the advocacy journalism during a period of unemployment. I was about two weeks into being unexpectedly unemployed, and I was on a run, and I realized I need to start a website where I just catalog the different local advocacy campaigns that I’m up to. By this point, I was exposed to boys and men’s issues and I had realized that maybe I can make a difference here…[Continued]
