Amazons 9 – Ayoola Oluwanifemi
Boychild advocacy has become increasingly popular in recent times. More people are awakening to the fact that boys need help too. They need to be taught away from the stereotypes and biases that have filled many cultures.
Every now and then, there are complaints and misconceptions about how advocacy is just all about the Girl Child and Women. While the strong emphasis on the female gender was necessary, it doesn’t make sense to leave the men behind.
This is why from time to time; I shine the spotlight on incredible people championing causes for the boy child. I recently had a chat with Temitope Ayoola, a Boychild advocate whose approach to empowering boys is holistic. Her approach cuts across education, health, charity, research and so on. All facets of their vision are aimed at raising boys who contribute meaningfully to society.
Grab some cold drink, let’s dive in.
- Can we meet you, please?
Yes, please. My name is Ayoola Oluwanifemi Temitope. I am passionate about social development, community development, health and wellness, SDGs and gender equity. Professionally, I work as a licensed/registered nurse with the Ekiti State Government. Age-wise, I am in my very early twenties and have worked with different organizations in the field of human and community development as a volunteer. - What drove you to launch a boy child advocacy organization in a world where males rarely organize programs for boys or men, but we hear concerns that women do a lot of girls?
Generally, in the train of advocacy, volunteering and personal knowledge seeking, I observed that there is a significant gap between the opportunities available to girls and boys, as there has been a predominant focus on empowering girls. Society has placed a high premium on the girl child over the boy child through interventions and programs which may have intuitively rendered the boy child prone to low self-esteem due to lack of attention. I sincerely think that the boy child is gradually losing his position in the society due to neglect physically, emotionally and even health-wise.
- How has the reception been so far over the years from boys you have impacted?
We launched out about 4 months ago and have been able to run really few projects. The reception during these times was amazing. I remembered the boys were very happy and chatty when we announced that we had only come for them during our very first project- The Boys and Beyond Project.
- What are the thematic areas for the programs you organize? The Thematic areas for The Boythrive Initiative are:
• Education
• Health
• Empowerment
• Charity
• Advocacy
• Research
- Have you attended other programs before on this before you launched yours? If yes, which programs?
No, 90% of the programs I’ve attended are female-based programs. - What do you hope to achieve with this program?
By GOD’s grace,
• I hope to expand the reach of the organization by creating programs and
initiatives that will engage more boys and raise awareness.
• Develop a network of mentors and role models to provide guidance, support and encouragement to every boy
• I hope to advocate for policy and systemic changes that support boys’ education and health- mental health, reproductive health, and overall wellbeing
• I hope to actualize the reality of inclusion- a society where equal undivided attention is given to every child; boys and girls
- What is your advice to other men who also want to venture into boy child advocacy but do not know how to?
Well, I think nobody knows how to until they do it. I believe men who would want to venture into boychild advocacy should be intentional about it. They have everything needed to help boys thrive especially relatable experiences that a lady might not have thought or read about.
- What is your call-to-action sentence so that more men will start doing things for boys?
I’ll quote Warren Farrell;“The struggle of boys is one of the most important issues of our time, but also one of the most neglected. If we fail our boys, we fail our future’
- Where do you see boy child advocacy in the next 5 years?
To me, boychild advocacy is not to oppose the major efforts and interventions availed to the girlchild but rather to complement it. I envision greater involvement of men in advocacy efforts, creating a supportive network of mentors and improved collaboration between governments and non-profit organizations and community groups to create more inclusive policies and programs that serve all boys regardless of their backgrounds.
You have heard it from Oluwanifemi. Boychild advocacy complements girl child advocacy and men need to be intentional if they want to mentor the next generation. It has been such a wonderful chat with Oluwanifemi, getting to know the depth of her work and the effort she is making into reshaping men in society. Would you like to be a part of what she is doing? Kindly reach out to her on all her social media handles.
IG:
https://www.instagram.com/_theboythriveinitiative?igsh=MXV5Z3B6cm5vMncxaQ==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556456636211&mibextid=kFxxJD
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-boythrive-initiative/
Twitter (X): https://x.com/_TheBoythrive?t=_4uKdHY0YXWJi7SW7DLd4Q&s=09
Email – theboythriveinitiative@gmail.com
Her Personal Social Media details are:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nifemi.ayoola.71
IG: https://www.instagram.com/_oluwanifemiayoola/
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/TheMFMnurse
