Show Notes
By the age of 16, Danny Donnelly was balancing school with 50 hours of caring responsibilities each week. Now a nursing student, researcher and advocate for unpaid carers, Danny joins Shuab Gamote on Boy Talk to share his extraordinary journey from growing up as a young carer to campaigning for change. Together, they explore the hidden pressures facing young male carers, the importance of creativity and neurodiversity in education and why celebrating resilience should never replace providing proper support.
Call for Evidence: submit here
Podcasts are available to watch now on YouTube Stay up to date on the Commission by following our LinkedIn and Instagram Find out more via our Website
Edited and produced by Aedan Wilson
More from Boy Talk
In this episode of Boys Talk, we sit down with Sam Squire, CEO of Inspire 2 Ignite, to explore his journey from achieving his childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer at 18 to losing that dream just a year later. We discuss masculinity, identity, perfectionism and the pressures facing boys and young men, alongside the importance of positive role models and trusted adults. Sam shares how he rebuilt his sense of purpose and why giving young people the right opportunities, support and belief can transform their lives.
Andrew Tate no longer has a hold on young people. But today's influencers have learnt from him and many are more dangerous. Listen to Shuab Gamote, an expert on the online world who knows what young men are consuming and why. Shuab talks about the Mr Beast playbook, Jordan Peterson and the new influencers who are captivating young people. He distinguishes between harmful, hyper and healthy online content and says there and not enough proper conversations in schools about the online world so that young men can make sense of it all.
When English teacher Mike Nicholson started a lunchtime drop in for teenage boys, he was mocked by colleagues who told him boys wanted to play football and no one would turn up. Instead they were queuing down the corridor. That gave Mike the idea of setting up a charity, Progressive Masculinity, to go into schools and give boys a safe space to talk about what’s on their minds. And they do! Everything from social media, pornography, ambitions for the future - and what to do if you get an erection in a science lesson?
Why are fathers too often ghosted in the social care system? How do we stop shying away from the most challenging questions in schools? And how can we revive democracy and counter polarisation beginning in schools? Just some of the thorny topics discussed with Polly Curtis the CEO of cross party think tank Demos.
Do young men think big muscles is what makes a real man? Are they moving to the right and backing the populists? Are they obsessed with Andrew Tate? There's one man who knows the answers - because he's asked them - polling guru Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common. In this myth busting conversation Luke tells us what young men say really matters most to them.