Young Men: Moving Beyond their Diagnosis: Finding Community Resources to Embrace Their Potential

It can be so difficult for young men to get derailed from the straight and narrow in today’s society. Filled with distractions, young men have ample opportunities to divert their feelings and stress, becoming obsessed with things that take them down a dark or unhealthy path. This ranges from many different things: pornography, video games, drugs, alcohol, overeating, too much sleeping, skipping school or work, and more. All of these activities and indulgences can make it easier for young men to shirk their responsibilities and stick to a dark path, ultimately leading them nowhere.  

At The Carpenter Shed, we know that in order for young boys to find their way to a better place, they need to address past traumas so that they can figure out who they are, what motivates them, and what they want to do with that newfound motivation. This is the ultimate way to help young boys become a healthier version of themselves and turn into functioning, well-adjusted, contributing members of society.  

Let’s go through some of the different things afflicting young men, how that leads them to indulge in destructive or unhealthy behavior, the activities we use at The Carpenter Shed to help them cope, and why that eventually helps them handle trauma in a more productive and healthy way. 

Facing Problems: Many Young Men Are Met With Challenged Circumstances That Make It Hard To Grow and Find Career Aspirations

There are many different ways that young people, specifically young men, can be stunted by trauma from their past. Whether it’s family life, trouble with bullying at school, difficulty connecting with their peers, or any other problem, it can be incredibly debilitating to a young, impressionable young man.  

Problems with family at home can turn up in all walks of life and cause developmental issues. Being a victim of bullying can hurt self-confidence and cause boys to have trust issues and difficulty connecting with others in the long run. When someone is young, these issues can have an even more profound effect as they’re impressionable and don’t have any ability to understand that these things aren’t their fault. As a result, many young people, not just young boys, often have difficulty going through the everyday motions of life, causing pain, stress, and social issues that persist throughout adolescence and can carry well into adulthood if not treated properly. This can be a major problem for young boys, as society teaches them to not express their feelings, show weakness, or ask for help from other people. These two things combined can lead them down negative paths that stunt their growth, prevent them from becoming functioning, healthy adults, and in turn, cause deep unhappiness and stress.  

Unfortunately, many young boys cope with this stress through unhealthy outlets like we described above — excessive video game time, pornography, alcohol, drugs, and more, as they don’t feel comfortable reaching out for help or going to therapy. Many times, the family dynamics are not set up to support boys in this situation, leading to major problems and derailing the hope of a future career.

Coping With Conflict: How Young Boys Sometimes Struggle with Managing Emotions and Resolve Conflict in an Unhealthy Way

Because young boys in today’s society often feel pressure to act “manly” and “tough” despite deep underlying pain or stress only contributes to toxic masculinity and increased sadness. As we discussed multiple times above, this can eventually lead to unhealthy methods of coping, whether it’s substance abuse, pornography, listlessness, or other negative habits.

If young boys maintain these behaviors and frequently engage in dangerous activities, it can derail their chances of having a successful life and future and completely wreck their health.

Not only can it cause young boys to never reach their potential, but it can also be dangerous and send them to jail, or worse. Giving them ways to cope in a healthy way can make a world of difference for the trajectory of a young boy’s life. However, it can be difficult to find people who are willing or able to send them on a better path forward. Many young boys find themselves in these negative situations to begin with because they had a neglected upbringing, a home filled with abuse, a lack of structure, and socioeconomic situation with minimal to zero role models.

That’s where The Carpenter Shed comes in. By helping young boys find a sense of purpose, meaning, and direction, we’re able to give them a new outlook on life, the ability to cope with their past traumas, and a drive to move forward as a better, more fulfilled version of themselves.

Developing Personal Integrity: Helping Young Boys Embrace Their Identity and Self-Discovery

The impact of positive role models, especially male role models for young boys, cannot be overstated. As discussed above, society often expects young boys to be overly masculine, never showing weakness or emotion. This stems from Hollywood and stereotypical gender roles developed and nurtured throughout the human experience.

At The Carpenter Shed, we help young boys identify what is causing their trauma, realize that they’re engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms to get through it, and then find a substitute that’s better for their overall peace of mind. In the end, this helps them identify a sense of purpose, meaning, and direction that they can then take into the real world and live a more fulfilling life.

It’s all too often that we see young boys fall victim to drugs, alcohol, listlessness, and other dopamine-filling temptations that offer temporary, borrowed happiness instead of actual, true healing. By providing proper guidance and counseling, we’re able to lead our young boys to a better place that provides lasting comfort and joy, driven by a goal and reinvigorated sense of themselves. 

We use a number of activities that help teach discipline and how to love yourself despite a difficult past. Let’s go through a few of them and how they help our young boys find a happier situation and outlook and thirst for life again.

Confidence building exercises at The Carpenter Shed that help promote social inclusion

The Carpenter Shed has a wide range of activities and exercises to help young boys discover what’s holding them back.

Here’s a sampling of a few of the different activities:

Sports: Whether it’s playing basketball, two-hand-touch football, or softball, we believe that sports are an excellent way to teach young boys how to be part of a team.

Being Outdoors: We take our boys on camping trips, show them how to fish off the pier into the lake, pitch a tent, and connect with nature. Learning to love and appreciate the outdoors is an excellent way to find meaning and develop another hobby.

Rec. Activities: We have a skateboard ramp, musical instruments, and a whole host of other hobbies for our young boys to use and express themselves.

How These Activities Help Our Young Boys

By entering a safe, sober environment like the one we cultivate at The Carpenter Shed, our program participants can learn to develop passions that they enjoy beyond drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy habits.

When we show them that there’s an alternative, it enables them to see a life outside of bad habits. We supplement this further by pairing them with a male mentor. Each one of our mentors help our young boys engage in real-life responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, and laundry, and help encourage them to build structure and independence.

We believe in a “Life-on-Life Relational Approach,” which means that every aspect of our program is designed to cultivate authentic relationships within the community, guiding young men toward fully independent living. This way, when they are ready to leave The Carpenter Shed, they’re equipped to handle the day-to-day rigors of life and can move towards chasing a dream, getting a job they’re passionate about, or establishing themselves in the community in a better way.

Adventure-Based Experiential Therapy at The Carpenter Shed

Experiential therapy is a powerful tool for young men who feel stuck, unmotivated, and disconnected from life. Many arrive at The Carpenter Shed trapped in cycles of apathy, unhealthy habits, and self-destructive choices. Through adventure-based activities, group challenges, physical fitness, and hands-on life skills, experiential therapy breaks through these barriers in ways traditional talk therapy often cannot.

The Carpenter Shed Gives Young Boys The Guidance They Need

We don’t get to choose our pasts, and in some cases, it can be hard to pick our futures. That’s why it’s important to give young boys every opportunity available to move onto a greater life where they feel more fulfilled, happy, and eager to contribute to society and accomplish their goals.

Toxic masculinity can lead to expressing feelings in an unhealthy way, while suppressing emotions entirely often makes young boys turn to poor habits. Pornography, alcohol, drugs, listlessness, Failure to Launch Syndrome, and overeating are incredibly detrimental to anyone’s life, especially one of a young, adolescent boy.

Your teen/early twenties are the time to chase your dreams and start to make your name in the world, but having a bad foundation and lack of a support system sometimes sends people down the wrong path, especially if they have trauma from the past.

At The Carpenter Shed, our passion is helping young boys find a sense of purpose, meaning, and direction so that they can lead a happier life and become functioning members of society. We help them find a passion, pursue it to the fullest, and lead a better life free from trauma and past issues.

If you have a young boy in your life that might benefit from The Carpenter Shed, contact us today to learn more about admissions.