Young Man With a Plan

Huge congratulations to our leader Dr. Jay Simpson on this noteworthy nomination and recognition! The Black Excellence on The Hill Award Ceremony was a special event and a unique way to end Black History Month. It was a honor to be apart of this memorable event!

“In Boston money is something you HAVE to talk about.” The final highlight of this series is another clip from Dr. Jay Simpson’s opening Fireside Chat monologue. In this clip, he highlights the stark contrast between Boston, a city with abundant resources, and its significant racial wealth gaps. This disparity is often overlooked and unaddressed, which only exacerbates the problem. Simpson also delves into the influence of messaging on contemporary society. He emphasizes that not only do our youth suffer from the gaps themselves, but they are also deeply affected by the messaging that perpetuates the notion of who belongs here.

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“Most things we do, we have modernized…. Yet we’re supposedly wondering why people who are young are finding it difficult to sit and be told and taught at, not engaged, but taught at.” At YMWAP’s Fireside Chat on Youth Mental Health, Boston’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer Kevin M. Simon, MD, MPH spoke with Dr. Jay Simpson on the disconnect young people feel in classrooms where teaching methods have not kept pace with the ways youth engage with technology to learn. Dr. Simon points to the importance of spaces where young men can feel comfortable, make and connect with friends, and talk about the important topics of their lives. YMWAP provides that unique space for the authentic dialogue and learning young men crave.

“School disengagement has worsened… Why? During Covid socialization as young people knew it STOPPED while social media use skyrocketed.” The second highlight of this series is another clip from Dr. Jay’s opening monologue. In this clip, Dr. Jay Simpson reflects on the challenges of this new era and how social media rewired the brains of young people. Dr. Simpson speaks about the effects of the pandemic on school disengagement and how that disengagement is exacerbating existing gaps in this city and across the country. Most importantly, through no fault of their teachers, our young men's rewired brains struggle to re-engage with traditional teaching and learning.

“Life is coming to get us all. And that's the reason we need to prepare these young men to be ready for that. Because the schools are doing the best that they possibly can.” The first highlight of this series is a snippet from Dr. Jay's opening monologue. In this clip, Dr. Simpson speaks about various hurdles our young men face on their journeys through life and the role YMWAP plays in engaging and supporting them. He reflects on the challenges of this new era; social media rewired the brains of young people, putting them on a hamster wheel and taking them down a rabbit hole, telling them who men are and what they should be. Watch to learn more! #YoungMenWithAPlan #MentorshipMatters #FutureLeaders #YouthEmpowerment #BreakingBarriers #BuildingBetterMen #GuidingTheFuture #SocialMediaImpact #LifeLessons #SupportYoungMen #CommunityMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #YMWAP #PrepareForLife #EmpowerYoungMen #MentorshipWorks #ShapingTheFuture #RaisingLeaders #InvestInYouth #PositiveChange #NextGenerationLeaders #ManhoodRedefined #LifeSkills #NavigatingLife #YouthSupport #BeyondTheClassroom #HolisticDevelopment #BuildingStrongMen #ChampioningSuccess #BreakingCycles

We are excited to share this series of highlights from our first Fireside Chat featuring the insights of YMWAP’s Executive Director, Dr. Jay Simpson, and Boston’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Dr. Kevin Simon. We are looking forward to celebrating this month by sharing more about what we do! #FiresideChat #YMWAP #MentorshipMatters #CommunityLeadership #YouthEmpowerment #BostonStrong #BehavioralHealth #FutureLeaders #EquityInAction #InspiringChange

Young Man with a Plan proudly celebrates the richness of Black culture and history (and history in the making!) this month and every month. Stay tuned for highlights from our Fireside Chat series featuring the insights of YMWAP’s Executive Director, Dr. Jay Simpson and Boston’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Dr. Kevin Simon.

Yesterday, Young Man with a Plan (YMWAP) kicked off its first-ever Networking 101 event in partnership with The Philanthropy Connection (TPC) and a fantastic group of community members. The room was buzzing with energy as our young men led conversations and delivered their elevator pitches to a diverse group of adults. Laughter, smiles, and positive vibes filled the space—everyone was having a great time! And, as it turns out, when you’ve got a solid elevator pitch in your toolbox, navigating a crowd becomes way easier. The young men weren’t just making small talk—they were rolling with the questions, digging deeper, and taking conversations to the next level. The best part? The adults complimenting the guys on their impressive interpersonal skills. With every conversation, you could practically see our young men’s confidence growing. It was clear: they were owning it!

What’s YOUR elevator pitch? Last week YMWAP’s students and alums participated in our first Elevator Pitch Workshop led by our partner, 826 Boston. After learning about elevator pitches, including their purpose, value, and the best settings to employ them in, young men got to work drafting their own pitches, guided by these questions: 1) Who am I? What are my skills and interests? 2) What have I achieved and what do I hope to achieve? 3) Why do I want to do these things? What is my purpose? The experience was excellent preparation for YMWAP’s networking events planned over the next few weeks.