Event Toolkit

Community Problem-Solving Lab: Young Men Leading Change

Theme & Purpose

The Community Problem-Solving Lab empowers young men to become solution-builders for their schools, families, and neighborhoods. By starting with the #MillionMaskMovement, participants first reflect on their Inner Challenges — the gap between what they show the world and what they usually don’t let others see about themselves. This step creates honesty, empathy, and trust in the room.

Once that bridge of authenticity is built, participants shift to Outer Challenges — identifying real issues in their community and working together to brainstorm practical solutions. The mask activity makes the lab more than just an idea session: it grounds the work in lived experience, ensuring solutions are shaped by what young men truly feel and carry inside.

Benefits for Young Men

  1. Self-Awareness – Recognize how personal struggles and strengths connect to larger community issues.

  2. Leadership Development – Practice identifying challenges, brainstorming solutions, and committing to action.

  3. Brotherhood & Empathy – Build deeper trust by sharing what they usually don’t let others see about themselves before tackling solutions together.

Materials

Group Size

6–20 participants (plus audience if open to the public)..

Time Needed

60–90 minutes total.

 

STEP-BY-STEP Program

Community Problem-Solving Lab: Young Men Leading Change

1. Welcome & Purpose (5 minutes)

Host Script:
“Welcome to the Community Problem-Solving Lab. Today we’re going to start by looking at the challenges we carry inside through the #MillionMaskMovement — because before we solve community problems, we need to be real about our own. From there, we’ll work together to find solutions that matter for our schools, families, and neighborhoods.”

2. Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Go around and have each participant share:

  • Their name and background.

  • One positive change they’ve noticed recently in their school, family, or community.

3. Create a Mask (15 minutes)

  • Hand out mask cards.

  • Invite participants to draw/write:

    • Front (outside): what they show the world.

    • Back (inside): what they don’t let others see about themselves.

  • Mask Links:

  • Collect masks face down in a box, shuffle, and redistribute.

  • Reflection: “The challenges on these masks are personal — but they also connect to bigger community issues. Today, we’ll use this honesty to guide the solutions we create.”

4. Identify the Challenge (35–40 minutes)

  • As a group, agree on 1–2 challenges that affect young men or their communities.

  • Link back to masks: “What patterns or themes did you notice on the masks that also show up in our schools, neighborhoods, or families?”

5. Idea Generation (20 minutes)

  1. Each participant writes one idea per sticky note.

  2. Post ideas on the wall or table.

  3. No judging — just brainstorm as many ideas as possible.

6. Group Discussion & Shortlisting (15 minutes)

  1. Read through all ideas.

  2. Combine similar ones.

  3. Select 1–3 top ideas to develop further.

7. Action Planning (15 minutes)

For each top idea, answer:

  1. What is the first step?

  2. Who needs to be involved?

  3. What resources might we need?

8. Closing & Positive Action (5–10 minutes)

Reflection Notes:

  • Write down one action you’ll personally take to move one idea forward.

Host Closing Script:
“When we take off the masks, we see the real challenges young men face. And when we put our heads together, we see real solutions. That’s the power of brotherhood: honesty plus action.”

9. SHARE MASKS POST EVENT (10 minutes)

Take pictures of each mask and email them to millionmask@everforwardclub.org to join our #MillionMaskMovement and help us reach 100,000 people by this November!

Optional Add-Ons

  • Invite a Local Leader: Have a teacher, coach, or community leader listen and learn from the group.

  • Follow-Up Session: Re-gather in 1–2 months to track progress.

  • Youth-Led Version: Empower young men to facilitate the brainstorming and planning.

For any questions, please contact millionmask@everforwardclub.org

Donate