22/08/2026
IDENTIFIERS, NOT MENTORS
The recently concluded Ibadan Boys’ Summit 5.0 was a little different this year. While the boys still had their panel session, workshop, games and other engaging activities, we also created space for something deeper: bringing into the summit men from the CAEPOCOM Africa HIMPACT space, who meet monthly via Google Meet to engage in conversations around masculinity, identity and what it means to be a man today.
One important lesson stood out for us: boys may not necessarily need mentors; they need identifiers. Boys are often fascinated by men they can see, listen to and relate to. Rather than simply seeing these men as mentors, they are more likely to say, “I want to be like him.” They look for someone they can identify with.
And this matters because the boy of today is the man of tomorrow. If we want to shape better men, we must intentionally create opportunities for boys to encounter men whose lives, choices and understanding of masculinity give them something healthy to identify with. One of the dreams of the Ibadan Boys’ Summit is to ensure that the men boys grow up identifying with are not reproducing the damage we see in manhood today.
We are grateful to the moderator, Samuel Adejube for creating a space where the boys could engage meaningfully and openly, to the HIMPACT team Marvellous-Mary Ogunobo bringing the energy, and to the coordinator of CAEPOCOM Africa Oyebanke Oyelaja Kayode and every volunteer and who contributed their time and effort to making Ibadan Boys’ Summit 5.0 a success.
The boy today is the man of tomorrow. Who he identifies with matters.
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OMO OYO MEDIA Boyz II Men
