#49 | What I Learned From Hosting the Young Men’s Conference: Community, Vulnerability & Planting Seeds for 2026

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/fb/cb/e1/fbcbe118-d88d-b4a5-8cce-0bb994e9718e/mza_2351210277279771936.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask

272 episodes

1 day ago

Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students - who often face DISPROPORTIONATE disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to embody a necessary change in schools, via healthy social-emotional outcomes. Come away with actionable lesson plans, relatable stories, and a renewed purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of our youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this - because real men teach. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com

How To

Education

RSS

All content for unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students is the property of Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

How To

Education

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/343423/343423-1731444623629-d81c148485afb.jpg

#49 | What I Learned From Hosting the Young Men’s Conference: Community, Vulnerability & Planting Seeds for 2026

unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

24 minutes 38 seconds

1 day ago

#49 | What I Learned From Hosting the Young Men’s Conference: Community, Vulnerability & Planting Seeds for 2026

We just wrapped our second Young Men’s Conference, and I’m still taking in the power, the stories, and the lessons this year brought.

From 220 registered to nearly 100 young men showing up in person, this year felt bigger, bolder, and more aligned with the work we’ve been building: helping young men normalize vulnerability, step into their strengths, and see themselves in community with mentors who truly see them.

This episode is a reflective solo cast on what went well, what surprised us, and how we’re preparing for a global expansion of the movement in 2026.

The growth of the Young Men’s Conference from 50 to 100 participants
What young men actually said about their experience
Why “normalizing vulnerability” remains a radical act
What we learned from the 100+ youth who didn’t show up, and how to reach them next year

The global partners activating this movement around the world

A call to action for parents, mentors, schools, and anyone who cares about young men

Timestamps

(0:00) Welcome & why this episode is a reflection on the conference

(2:30) What worked: attendance, workshops, volunteers & community support

(4:48) How we expanded to a bigger venue and deeper partnerships

(7:14) Parent testimonials and powerful stories from young men

(9:40) Why “normalizing vulnerability” is the theme—and why it matters

(11:30) What we learned from 220 registrants but only 100 attendees

(14:07) Alberto & Parth share behind-the-scenes insights

(18:00) Why this work matters even more after recent tragedies

(20:30) The “critical gap” and our responsibility to young men

(22:15) A call to action as we prepare for 2026

Join / Contribute to the Young Men’s Conference

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference 2026: https://everforwardclub.org

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas

Email us: totmpod100@gmail.com

Create your mask anonymously: https://millionmask.org/

Connect with Ashanti Branch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/
Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

Connect with Ever Forward Club

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator #youngmensconference #normalizevulnerability #everforwardclub