Washington Initiative for Boys and Men
Advocating for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities
Posts about disparities affecting boys and men:
LaVell Walton lives in Federal Way and formerly worked for Seattle Public Schools. — Across Washington State, a quiet crisis is unfolding — one that most people can feel but few can fully name. Boys and young men are disappearing in plain sight.
In his recently-published book Notes on Being a Man, Professor Scott Galloway says: “The data around boys and young men is overwhelming. Seldom in recent memory has there been a cohort that’s fallen further, faster.” (p. 2) People fall where they’re unsupported. Society’s relative lack of generosity toward boys and men might be a factor contributing to their fall.
A team of people created a draft of a screening tool designed to surface issues that dads in Washington are facing that otherwise might go unsurfaced. This questionnaire, to be administered for example at a doctor appointment, is designed for men to be able to receive helpful feedback and guidance toward resources.
Representative April Berg’s House Bill 2401 failed to pass the House of Representatives by the February 17 cutoff. The bill passed the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee by a 5 to 2 vote on January 30, and it passed the Appropriations Committee 22 to 8 on February 9. But it didn’t make it to the House floor for a vote in time.
“In the dust of that little chair, what has become of our Little Boy Blue?” A guest contribution by Terry Oxley, retired Army officer and a past Board Director of USO Northwest and the Washington Youth Academy Foundation.
Plus: dads talk about their babies, advocacy support from Eastside Democrats, an upcoming conference on What Boys Need as Males, and photos of our outreach.
With the adoption of a resolution by their House of Delegates, the American Medical Association (AMA) now officially encourages the creation of Offices of Men’s Health “within each state’s Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate awareness, outreach, and outcomes on men’s health”.