EVERY SCHOOL HAS A VERSION OF THIS moment. A boy is pushed in the corridor. Words are said about his accent, his family or his body. He pushes back, or he goes quiet. By the time an adult finds out, there is a fight to sort out, a parent on the phone and a punishment
On the morning of Thursday, October 29, Javits Frimpong set off for school. Near Crotona Park in the Bronx he was shot in the stomach. He ran about a block before he collapsed. He was 15. He had been in New York for about a year. His father, Thomas, a yellow-cab driver, had brought him
A transatlantic conversation on presence, performance, and what it will take to reclaim the formation of boys from the systems that will never know their names By Ola Akinwe with insights from Jiri Rakosnik, Few Good Men (Amsterdam) Boys Mentoring Advocacy Network (BMAN) | Global Boys Conversation Series In the quiet vacuum of modern mentorship,
By Ola Akinwe Editor’s Note In this boardroom-grade analysis, Ola Akinwe — founder of the Boys Mentoring Advocacy Network (BMAN) and LIVE Pathfinders Ltd — reframes student behavior as institutional data rather than a disciplinary problem. Drawing on the L.I.V.E. Operating System™ and its structured Trilogy, he argues that elite schools are not facing a
A Conversation Between Psychologist Dr. Judy Chu and Ola Akinwe What Is the Digital Father? “The invisible system of algorithms, influencers, and digital platforms increasingly mediating how boys construct identity, meaning, and masculine self-concept.” These systems influence how boys think, behave, and form identity often without intentional human direction. There is a quiet shift unfolding
Editor’s Note: In an era of rapid educational reform, the widening gender gap in academic engagement remains one of the most persistent yet underaddressed challenges facing global school systems. In this analysis, Ola Akinwe, founder of the Boys Mentoring Advocacy Network (BMAN), challenges the prevailing narrative that assigns blame to the individual student. By shifting
Editor’s Note As traditional mentorship faces a global crisis, a new authority has filled the silence: the Digital Father. In this urgent commentary, Ola Akinwe explores the Relational Poverty driving millions of boys to seek identity through algorithms rather than human connection. It is a vital call to action for anyone committed to reclaiming the
While the world rallies for victims it can see, countless boys suffer unseen. Their stories have been overlooked until now. The Silence Around an Overlooked Reality When a girl is sexually assaulted, the world responds with urgency and moral clarity. Headlines appear across major news outlets, social media fills with hashtags demanding justice, and communities
Picture a boy, around twelve years old. He is bright, curious, full of energy. Then something shifts. Gradually, the spark dims. He becomes quieter. His grades slip. He stops showing up — first to school events, then to family conversations, and eventually to life itself. His parents notice. His teachers notice. But no one quite
Many mothers quietly carry the same fear. “I think I’m losing my son.” He used to talk to you about everything. His school day. His friends. His dreams. But now something has changed. He stays in his room more. He answers in short sentences. Sometimes he seems distant, even irritated. And the question many mothers ask themselves