Lost Boys!

Our vision for the Lost Boys Project

In March 2025 the Centre for Social Justice published its report titled Lost Boys and this important piece of research is underpinning one of Transforming Plymouth's Together headlines under its revised strategy. We are living in a fragmented and complex society where boys and many men have lost their identity and place. 2.5million boys in the UK have no father figure at home, and with no boundaries and little positive guidance in place boys and men are aligning themselves with online influencers like Andrew Tate who are giving them a sense of belonging and common purpose. Andrew Tate's toxic misogyny is prominent in the powerful Netflix series Adolescence, specifically in relation to his “80/20 rule” which asserts that 80 per cent of women are attracted to only 20 per cent of men. That perspective is associated with the ‘manosphere’, a collection of online communities that often discuss topics like men’s rights and ‘incel’ (involuntarily celibate) culture. A theme that emerged in Plymouth’s tragic Keyham shootings. While Tate faces charges of human trafficking, rape, forming an organised crime group, assault and more, boys around the world, as young as eight years old, are being influenced by his videos.

At Transforming Plymouth Together we are working with our church partners to develop meaningful safe spaces for men and boys to ensure that we are equipped to offer a strong Godly alternative and robust practical solutions to not only protect the next generation but to also heal those men in our communities who have lost their way.

Alongside growing youth spaces, we are offering a mentoring skills workshop, and on-going support, specifically designed for Christian men (and women) wanting to work more effectively and meaningfully with teenage boys standing in the gap as strong Godly male role models. We are seeking to equip mentors to bring Godly restoration and an antidote to the world's dismantling of men's place in society which is currently being filled with negative influences like Andrew Tate.

The workshop offers practical communication skills, basic psychological insights, the importance of dealing with our own emotional baggage and practical solutions to help support teenage boys to deal with today’s complex societal issues and to enable them to grow and flourish into the men God designed them to be.

See Laura speaking on this brilliant project below!