'Man Camp' Aims To Empower Tulsa Boys

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- What does it take to be a man? About 40 Tulsa area boys are getting a three-day crash course on that at "Man Camp."

It's an effort involving several community groups hoping to empower young men, starting now.

"My first reaction was, ‘I don't know if I'm really going to like this or not.' The first day, it was just fun," said Austin Passmore, 15-years-old.

These boys are learning what it takes to be a man.

"I wanted to learn the definition of what a man really is," said 12-year-old Josh Davis. "It's actually pretty fun. It's going by pretty quick."

Man Camp is open to boys are from all over Tulsa, age 13 to 18. They learn about etiquette, nutrition, disease, money, sex, hygiene, physical fitness and team building.

"A lot of the boys don't have fathers in their homes and so just by somebody doing something simple, like talking to them about how to tie a tie, talking to them about what real masculinity is versus the myth that exists in the movies," said Lamar Brown, Man Camp Leader.

They also teach the intangibles, like how to be attentive to your family and embrace your emotions.

"Just to learn the responsibilities of a man and to learn what it takes, how to do stuff like a man and all that stuff," Passmore said.

These boys are hungry for knowledge and leaders want to make sure they feed them the right facts.

"You don't have to be tough and you don't have the biggest muscles. You can just be yourself, you can just be a man, you can be responsible, take care of your family," Brown said.

Brown says if young men realize their potential now, they'll be more prone to make good decisions, get higher education, a good career and have a productive life.

"Enjoy who you are and not who everybody thinks that you need to be," Brown said.

Man Camp ends Saturday. The organizers hope to eventually be able to offer a Spring and Fall camp each year.