Next Gen Men (NGM) is a small nonprofit with a big goal: building a positive vision for masculinity that changes the way boys and men think of themselves, relate to others, and are seen in their communities (both on and offline) across Canada and the US.
This requires meeting boys where they are at – online. In the contemporary digital landscape full of voices telling boys who to be, and how to be masculine, NGM provides a much-needed alternative: offering positive examples of connection, belonging and boyhood that resonate with boys in the digital places they are already part of.
Discord is a key online platform used by young men and boys to stay connected, full of lively online communities. Five years ago, NGM joined boys in this space, living alongside them in this online world.
The NGM Alliance on Discord is a moderated space where boys and nonbinary youth show up for gaming and shared interests – and stay for mentorship, honest conversation, and each other. It’s an alternative to the internet’s harder corners, where boys face radicalization, sextortion, and misogyny sold as self-improvement.
The support of the Caring Masculinity Fund (CMF) has been crucial to keeping this online community alive.
“Most funding is restricted and short-term,” the NGM team explains. “You’re accounting for deliverables before you’ve had a chance to ask whether you’re doing the right things.”
However, the flexible and trust-based model of the CMF fund is different. It enabled NGM to maintain their online community day to day, strengthening the systems of care that keep it safe and supportive, and resourcing the facilitators who hold it together.
This continuity of care makes the NGM Alliance rare, and impactful. This is a youth programme with no end. And the significance shows. An independent evaluation of the community – 143 active members exchanging more than 215,000 messages in a single year – found youth reported less shame around mental health, stronger belonging, and more confidence to push back on harm.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the server,” one 15-year-old shared after the community helped him through a moment of crisis.
Some young men have been part of the NGM Alliance for more than five years – long enough for facilitators to walk beside them through several of the moments that shape who a young man becomes.
“You make us feel seen and heard,” said another community member. “What an amazing experience you make for us all.”
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