Some GOOD in the World of Men

I wonder sometimes about the state of my own mental health, especially as I scroll through my social media feeds and morning email notifications. Those are usually the gateways into topics for both this blog and my work with TeamsOfMen in general, and that typically means bathing my mind in stories of awful.

Today, as I was scrolling, nothing was coming up in the usual locations (ESPN headlines, X, LinkedIn, IG, etc.) and I could feel myself literally getting ANGRY.

I had to stop, walk away from the screen, and say, “Jesus, Kip, maybe today has a chance to be a bullshit free day. That’s a good thing.”

So I then decided to post about something cool and that’s how I landed on my friend Ashanti Branch’s Million Mask project.

Ashanti’s work with young men is prominently featured in the documentary film “The Mask You Live In”, and I was fortunate enough to be a guest on his podcast a few years back. His Ever Forward Club’s work in the Bay Area and beyond is inspiring, and one of his most impressive creations is the “Mask” activity this post is encouraging you to take part in.

Long story short, you need a bunch of paper and drawing utensils, you need a group willing to practice courage and vulnerability, and you follow Ashanti’s lesson plan to craft representations of the masks your guys feel they wear in various aspects of their lives. What they show the world versus what they keep hidden.

It is a powerful activity that I’ve used with adults all the way down to middle schoolers and allows men the opportunity to share and examine who they are willing to be with one another.

Ashanti’s group is driving towards one million of these masks being created, and a recent push you can participate in to help both your team room AND their progress toward that goal can be found HERE.

The most effective version of this lesson takes about 30 minutes BUT I’ve also run it in as little as 15.

It has NEVER, no matter the audience, failed to leave an impact and generate deep reflection and substantive discussion.

I couldn’t co-sign it more strongly for coaches reading our blog and needing an activity to build an actual climate and culture of honesty and trust.

And, as an added bonus, today I got to remind myself that there's plenty of GOOD happening in the world of men and boys, too.

Coaching Prompts

What parts of yourself do you intentionally hide from your players, and how might that influence what they're willing to share with you?

When was the last time you facilitated an activity that asked your players to reflect on who they are beyond their identity as athletes?

How do you create opportunities for vulnerability within your program without making players feel obligated to share more than they're comfortable sharing?

Player Prompts

What is something about yourself that your teammates might be surprised to learn, and what has kept you from sharing it?

Do you feel like you have to act differently around your teammates than you do around your closest friends or family? Why?

What would need to change about your team's environment for guys to feel more comfortable being themselves?