The Boys Will Be Summit

Somewhere tonight, a fourteen-year-old is learning what it means to be a man – from a stranger on a screen, and no adult who loves him knows.

If you lead a school, a sport program, or a community organization working to reach boys like him, you know the feeling of being outmatched. Not because you don't care. Because this work still happens in scattered pockets, is moving fast, and with too little shared knowledge of what actually works.

This November, Next Gen Men is bringing those people into one room for the Boys Will Be Summit – a national gathering shaped by the field, not by our assumptions. More than 50 organizations have answered our survey and told us what they need: practical strategies that work, a clearer way to measure impact, honest talk about what boys are facing online, and most of all, each other. Seven in ten told us they aren't well-connected to others doing this work. This is the day that closes that gap.

Why now
Nearly two in three young men spend time in the "manosphere", the online world of influencers selling a rigid, often misogynistic script. Around 40% say they trust one or more of these figures. Most of the people working to counter it are doing it alone, rarely comparing notes on what works.

"Most boys and young men aren't seeking out misogynistic content … they're looking for purpose, belonging, and practical guidance." – survey respondent

As the Government of Canada develops its first Men and Boys' Health Strategy – a process many of you contributed to – this is a chance to connect across the sector, share what's working, name the common challenges, and turn what you helped shape into practice.

Who this is for
This is a working day for senior leaders and decision makers – principals and superintendents, executive directors and program directors, and leaders across schools, community organizations, sport, public institutions, and the funders who back this work. They come from across the country. For one day they stop working in isolation and start building a shared playbook.

We hold a limited number of seats for graduate students and independent practitioners building their work in this field.

For companies and funders: digital wellbeing, preventing extremism, gender-based violence, stronger and more connected communities – if your organization already invests in any of these, they all trace back to one question: how a boy learns what it means to be a man. This is the room where the people doing that work across Canada set the agenda together. Come see the field you're backing – and help shape where it goes.

What you take home

1. Practical, tested ideas you can put to work across your programs.
2. Peers and partners across the country, so you never lead this work in a silo again.
3. A clear way to show whether your work is making a difference.
4. A sharper read on what boys are facing right now, online and off.

Because of you, a boy somewhere gets a better answer. That is what this day is really about.

Why Next Gen Men
For eleven years, we have built the expertise, then shared it. We have reached more than a million people, delivered 800-plus training sessions to over 200 organizations, and had our work independently evaluated. The Summit is that expertise in one place – the whole field, in one room, building one plan.

"This is the kind of education needed today – a powerful message, delivered in a way that made our group of young men want to listen." – Educator, I.E. Weldon Secondary School

The agenda

We'll share more about speakers, sessions, and the shape of the day in the coming weeks. We'll confirm the venue and send full details to all ticket holders before the day – expect a central, accessible Toronto location.

Super early bird is not about the line-up. It is your buy-in to the vision – a signal that you believe this work matters and you want to help shape where it goes. Seats are limited. More to come!

Super early bird: save 20% with code SUPER_EARLY_BIRD at checkout. Ends August 31.

Bringing a team?
If four or more people from your organization are coming, email us at info@nextgenmen.ca before you register and we will set you up with a group rate – 10% off each ticket.

About the hosts
Next Gen Men is a Canadian non-profit building a positive vision for masculinity – shifting the culture, equipping the parents, educators, and mentors in boys' lives, and running programs with boys and young men themselves, online and offline.

The Summit is supported by the McCall MacBain Foundation.

Boys will be what we help them become. Join us on November 5.