Chapter 2

Mentoring is very much like metal detecting. Many of the boys we support have been labelled naughty, unmotivated, disruptive. The truth is that hidden underneath the behaviours most people see is a hidden treasure: a boy with unseen strengths and talents who is in need of a positive male role model.

To unearth this treasure takes patience, empathy and an ability to build trust. This is what we ask of our mentors; that they stay alert to supporting that inner gem in their mentee.

If you think you have what it takes to help find and nurture the strengths of a fatherless boy, please register your interest on our website: https://chapter2.org.uk/mentor/why-mentor/.

Fatherlessness is no longer marginal, it has become mainstream.

Chapter2 is working to combat the fatherlessness crisis.

Do you want to help?

Learn more about the work we do and how by becoming a mentor you can help to write hope into the fatherless story. Visit our website at https://chapter2.org.uk/mentor/why-mentor/

Dr Richard Kay, Chapter2 Founder, reflects on supporting boys in reading: an subject in which boys are falling behind.

"When a friend of mine has just become a father to a son, this is the present I give to them; Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.

Why? Firstly, because it is a brilliant book about the adventures enjoyed between a father and son. It's a story of a boy growing up safe in the knowledge that he is loved and adored by his father. It gives a new father something exciting and wholesome to aspire to.

Secondly, because it is a book that a father and a son can enjoy reading together, which is a great way to cultivate a love of reading for pleasure. And reading for pleasure has been found to be a powerful predictor of success and well-being.

The above is particularly important for boys, as they have been outscored by girls in reading for nearly a century. Worth checking out a recent study by Richard V. Reeves on this topic (link in the comments)."