Description
Book SynopsisSituating men's youth work in historical perspective and discussing the status of youth today, this original and groundbreaking analysis offers a forward-looking vision for getting men more involved, and involved more productively, in helping kids thrive.
Trade ReviewThis is a valuable book for any program serving young people. The National Mentoring Center 2008 A comprehensive study of men who work and volunteer with children in a variety of public settings. Journal of Economic Literature 2008 This book is a moving drama of men telling their stories of how children bring meaning into their lives-by bringing meaning into the lives of children. It is incredible how varied the backgrounds of these men are. -- Moshe Landsman PsycCRITIQUES 2009 A fabulous book... Reading Men on a Mission was perhaps the best educational experience I will have in some time. -- Nancy NCFR Community Portal Insightful and inviting... the book particularly shines with Marsiglio's discussion of the difficult cultural context within which men work with young people... Scholars of youth, youth work and community development, as well as those studying masculinity, gender and care work will find this book an important and accessible resource. -- Shauna A. Morimoto Contemporary Sociology 2009 Marsiglio gives voice to the enormous potential of male caregiving in the United States and around the world. -- William A. Corsaro American Journal of Sociology 2009 Men on a Mission is an inspiring book and an important one... Marsiglio's work has broader implications for the study of human development in general and for men and masculinity in particular... Particularly valuable as we think about individual lives and social policy. -- Carl F. Auerbach Men and Masculinities 2011
Table of ContentsPreface
1. The Mission
2. The Landscape
Youth Well-Being
Child and Adolescent Development
Today's Cultural Climate
Across the Decades
Demographics of Men's Involvement
3. Social Places
Physical Conditions
Time, Place, and Communication
Perceptions and Symbols
Institutions, Norms, and Policy Constraints
Private versus Public Places
Gendered Places
4. Men's Motives
Theories of Boys' Early Years
Gender and the Boy Code
Getting and Staying Involved
Giving Back
Filling Gaps, Expanding Horizons
Generativity and "Passing It On"
Reciprocity and Feeling Good
Seeing the Impact, Being Recognized
5. Relating to Kids
Leveling
Inviting Comfort, Contact, and Trust
The Power of Touch
Expressing Bonds
Rituals
Managing Borders with Kids and Parents
6. Managing Kids
Letting Kids Know They Matter
Keeping It Real
Being Ready: It Can Happen Any Time
Managing Difficult Kids
7. Making a Difference
Perceptions of Kids
Teaching Life Lessons
Creating Chances and Challenges
Building Social Capital
8. Men and Mentoring
What Is Mentoring?
The Mentoring Movement
Mentoring Programs: Practice and Value
Recruiting Men
Evolving Relationships
9. Public and Private Lives
Blended versus Separate Lives
The Culture of Fatherhood
Youth Work as Training for Fathering
How Youth Work Affects Fathering
How Fathering Affects Youth Work
Family Building and Claiming
10. Personal Growth
Emotional States and Styles of Feeling
Powers of Perception
Self-Perceptions
Life Perspectives
11. Youth Work Domains
Childcare
School
Monitoring Sites and Criminal Justice
Recreation
Faith-Based Settings
Applying Lessons across Domains
12. Moving Forward
Comments on the Cultural Climate
A Vision
Appendix A: Reflections on Study Methodology and Future Research
Recruitment and Sample
The Interviews
Framing, Interpreting, and Judging the Interviews
Making Sense of the Transcripts
Ethnographic Observations
The Writing
Future Research
Appendix B: Participant Profiles
Notes
References
Index
