x
Breaking News
More () »

In #MeToo era, mentoring groups stress how young men should treat young women

"How they learn to treat young women is so important," said Bryant Pearson, The Bowtie Boys founder.

Give four freshman high-school boys a seat and an open platform, and the talk inevitably drifts from sports, to music or culture, and eventually girls.

How young men are learning to treat and approach young women these days, though, is taking on a greater significance given the larger national conversation about the #MeToo movement.

Mentoring groups like the BowTie Boys out of Garland are putting a renewed emphasis on respect toward the opposite sex with so many stories of misconduct floating around SnapChat, Twitter and Facebook.

"How they learn to treat young women is so important," said Bryant Pearson, the mentoring group's founder.

He introduced us to four freshmen: Tristan, Donieal, Desmond and Kevin.

"The conversations you're in [now], make you think about stuff," said Tristan. "Is it okay to do this? Oh, I guess not. But it's already happened."

All of the boys tell WFAA that it can be confusing to sometimes know what's okay, and what isn't, when it comes to girls and boundaries.

"We're more uptight with what we do in public and what we do in private [now]," said Donieal.

The boy's mentors emphasize how building healthy relationships can only happen if a young woman is treated and respected as an equal.

It's a similar message being reemphasized in some North Texas middle schools.

At Joe Tison Middle School in Weatherford, an after-school program focused on nurturing and developing young men is growing by the month.

The Boys to Men program offers close to 50 male students the chance to dress up every Tuesday before meeting to learn about responsibility, hard work, and yes, how to approach and treat girls.

Adison Feriend, 13, said the club is very helpful.

"We might learn what a girl likes, and how to treat them. When you become even more interested, you can know what to expect," said Feriend.

Assistant Principal Trace Craft started the program earlier this school year.

He said a lot of what they do is simply help boys who may have questions, or lack a consistent male role model, make right decisions.

"They're still trying to figure out who and what they are. I just want to find a way to make that impact," said Craft.

Plans are being discussed which could see the club expand district-wide next year.

Before You Leave, Check This Out