Role Models

International Men’s Day is on 19 November

by Claire Law

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To reflect upon the importance of positive male role models.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Role Models) and the means to display them.
• Have available the video at the start of the BBC News article ‘Russ Cook: the Hardest Geezer who ran the length of Africa’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 0.37 minutes long and is available at: https://tinyurl.com/yph6hthk

Assembly

1. Show Slide 1.
   
   Welcome the students to the assembly.
   
   
2. Ask the students, ‘Who do you think of as a role model? Who do you look up to in life?’
   
   Explain that the students could bring to mind a family member, a friend of the family or someone famous. This person could be alive, or they could be dead: someone from the past whose qualities and values they feel drawn to.
   
   Pause to allow time for thought.
   
   Optional: you may wish to ask the students to share their ideas with those near them.
   
   
3. Explain that you are now going to consider some people who might be regarded as role models.
   
   
4. Show Slide 2.
   
   Here, we see entrepreneur, podcaster, author and member of Dragon’s Den, Steven Bartlett.
   
   He’s been extremely successful in business and has been admired for his ability to speak openly and authentically about his experiences at school, dropping out of university, setting up a business, being resilient and building a culture of kindness.
   
   
5. Show Slide 3.
   
   This is Russell Cook, whose nickname is ‘Hardest Geezer’. Starting in April 2023, he ran the length of Africa to raise money for charity. He had struggled with his mental health, gambling and drinking, and embarked on this challenge to ‘make a difference’.
   
   Let’s watch a brief video of him completing his run in April 2024.
   
   Show the video ‘Russ Cook: the Hardest Geezer who ran the length of Africa’ (0.37 minutes long).
   
   
6. Show Slide 4.
   
   Here, we see a fictional character: Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is a strong leader and protector who leads with strength and courage. He has integrity and stays true to his values, including his sense of justice. Aragorn is also a loyal friend who shows his willingness to go the extra mile for the people he loves. He takes responsibility for his own mistakes while humbly recognizing his limitations.
   
   
7. Ask the students, ‘Why do you think we are considering role models today? And why do you think we have just considered three men who can be classed as role models?’
   
   Explain that 19 November is International Men’s Day, and its theme this year is ‘Positive Male Role Models’. As a counterbalance to toxic masculinity, it’s good to remember that there are plenty of positive male role models who contribute extensively to society.
    
8. Show Slide 5.
   
   Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, a professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, inaugurated International Men’s Day in 1999. He wanted a day that was separate from Father’s Day, and that celebrated men who are not fathers as well as young and teenage boys.
   
   For Teelucksingh, International Men’s Day was intended to highlight the positive impact that strong male role models have in the world. He chose 19 November to mark the birthday of his own father, a man who had been highly influential in Teelucksingh’s life.
    
9. Show Slide 6.
   
   The purpose of International Men’s Day is to achieve six objectives.
   
   - To promote positive male role models.
   - To celebrate men’s positive contributions to society.
   - To focus on men’s health and wellbeing.
   - To highlight discrimination against men.
   - To improve gender relations and promote gender equality.
   - To create a safer, better world.
    
10. While we’re reflecting on famous male role models, let’s consider Jesus Christ. To be a follower of Jesus is to embody the qualities and characteristics of Jesus. This includes traits such as strength, courage, selflessness and compassion.
    
    Jesus showed what it was to care for those in need while also challenging injustice through straight-talking. He helped to make life better for the poor and the sick. He showed care and respect towards women. He took time to rest and draw upon the things that helped his own wellbeing, such as time spent with friends or in prayer. These are regarded as positive traits – and totally at odds with what we think of as toxic masculinity.   

Time for reflection

Just as we did at the start of our assembly, let’s call to mind people we think of as role models.

- Who is a male role model for you?
- Which men do you look up to in life?

Let’s take a moment to pause and feel grateful for the example that these people have set for us.

Pause to allow time for thought.

What can we learn from them?

Pause to allow time for thought.

Prayer
Dear Lord,
As we celebrate the positive male role models in our lives, and throughout history, we thank you for their gifts, and for their willingness to share these with others.
We thank you for the role model that we have in Jesus.
Please help us to embody the qualities of strength, courage, selflessness and compassion.
We ask that you help us - whatever our gender - to be a positive role model to others.
We pray too for people in our world who have few or no positive role models in their life.
Please help them to connect with people who demonstrate how to make a positive contribution to society.
Amen.