Origins

The MENtour launched in August 2012 as a modest afterschool pilot with a clear intention: to teach emotional literacy and leadership to BIPOC middle school boys. What began as a localized effort quickly revealed a need far greater than its initial scope.

The Uncovering

As the work deepened, an unexpected truth surfaced. The challenges facing young men were not isolated to adolescence, nor confined by background, status, or belief. Across communities, generations, and professions, men were wrestling with the same unresolved tensions—questions of identity, intimacy, and integrity.

More striking still, the very men stepping forward as mentors and leaders were often carrying unaddressed wounds of their own. They were guiding others while quietly struggling themselves—attempting to give what they had never fully received.

The Shift

This realization reshaped the work entirely. The MENtour evolved from a youth-focused program into a broader movement—one designed not only to prepare the next generation, but to support every man willing to reclaim his emotional well-being, relational health, and sense of purpose.

The Work

In response, The MENtour partnered with committed local leaders and institutions to examine the social systems shaping men’s lives. Rather than offering programs alone, the organization began designing intentional spaces—places where mentor and mentee, elder and adolescent, could engage in emotional restoration, reflection, and growth together.

Through this work, a core truth became undeniable: the crisis facing men was not merely individual—it was structural. For generations, systems have limited men’s emotional development, clouded mental clarity, and delayed the formation of a grounded moral compass.

The Reach

Since 2012, The MENtour has engaged tens of thousands of adolescent and adult men across more than 70 campuses worldwide. What began as a single pilot has grown into a globally recognized men’s health and well-being organization—a multinational 501(c)(3) with a mission that continues to expand.

And this work is not complete.
It is only beginning.