Boys2Men Workshop Helps Young Coloradans With Transition To Manhood

By Allan Tellis

DENVER (CBS4) - Transitioning from childhood to adulthood is one of the most confusing and vulnerable times in a young person's life, and the Crowley Foundation continues to foster programs that help young men excel as they prepare for their futures. On Saturday, Nov. 11, the Crowley Foundation hosted their 7th annual Boys2Men workshop where over 150 young men came to learn from mentors about the seven core values of the foundation which includes: Family, Service, Paying It Forward, Authenticity, Integrity, Leadership, and Scholarship. This year, due to the ongoing success of the program, boys and their mentors were brought in from various regions of the country like Oklahoma City and Dallas to also participate in the workshop.

Upon arrival, the boys were grouped off to spend the day with various mentors, three of whom had come through the inaugural workshop, to engage in activities and discussions to drive home those essential core values. This installment of the yearly event was particularly special to Kenneth Crowley Sr. who founded the organization in 2009 as he said: "We have seven core values, and this is our 7th year having this event which is why it's titled completion." Although the core values are an integral part of the workshop, he also wants the boys to know that they are loved and valued saying "The reason we're out here today is just to come out here and show love to these young men before we even get into our curriculum."

While the workshops help to instill these wonderful core values in the minds of these young men they also help these youths gain access to practical skills like tying a tie, organizing a business plan, and practicing self-care. In one session the young men were encouraged to pick three acts of kindness from a list of over a 100 actions and complete them within the next 30 days.

While the Crowley Foundation looks to equip these young men with as many practical skills as possible Kenneth Crowley Sr. wants the focus to remain on the core values he holds so dear and has helped shaped him and his families lives. The Crowley Foundation is a family run organization, and you can feel their soulful attachment to the program as soon as you encounter them. As Kenneth Crowley Sr. said, "We're just a real, genuine, authentic, loving family and if the Crowley Foundation didn't exist as it does today, we'd still be that same family."

The Crowley Foundation has many more events planned in the near future with their "Relationship Series" coming up soon which will take place on the 2nd Saturday of every month beginning in January.

With this latest installment of events, the foundation plans to stay true to its core values and as Crowley Sr. said: "It's just important for us to keep our ear to the street and meet these young brothers where they're at and provide them some of the things they need."