15 Jul 2026
Every boy is becoming a man… But who is helping him get there? Most fathers today are determined to raise their sons differently. They want their boys to grow up confident and compassionate, strong and emotionally aware, resilient without having to hide their feelings.
But many fathers are trying to give their sons a childhood that they never experienced themselves, having grown up without the role models, conversations or emotional support they needed. They were taught to cope rather than connect; to stay strong rather than speak honestly. Now, as fathers, they are working hard to give their sons something more.
Rising Sons exists to help make that possible.
At a time when boys are being pulled in many directions by social media, influencers and conflicting messages about what it means to be a man, Rising Sons offers something simple but powerful: connection, belonging and positive male role models.
The organisation was founded by local mum and Rites for Girls Facilitator, Sophia Hermens, who runs Girls Journeying Together groups for Year 6 and Year 7 girls, supporting them make the transition from tweens to teens.
Following the success of this initative, she wanted to create spaces where fathers and sons can spend meaningful time together, build trust, have important conversations and connect.
“I founded Rising Sons to change the world for our boys and their dads and through this for our girls. We bring fathers and sons together for two hours a week for a year to deepen and strengthen their relationship via emotional literacy and connection, connection, connection. It is beautiful work.
“In the current climate of toxic influencers and the constant pull of the manosphere, we are being told over and over again that this work is needed, welcome, timely and essential.”
She explained what sort of attitudes and behaviours have you personally seen emerging amongst young men.
“Sadly, as we were reminded in Channel 4’s 2024 documentary ‘Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones’, our teens are fed damaging content within 25 minutes of first setting up an Instagram or TikTok account.
“Of course, we’ve known clearly since Netflix’s The Social Dilemma (2020) that Big Tech does not consider – let alone prioritise – our children’s emotional wellbeing.
“So, without time and space to explore what it means to be a boy, to be a man, with adults who truly have their welfare at heart, our teens lose access to their own sense of what truly matters to them – and grow up performing a version of manhood learned from their peers and the internet. This affects their relationships, their friendships, their mental health, their confidence.”
She explained why there are a growning number of toxic influencers and a misogynist mindset among young men.
“In the UK, we no longer have a ‘third space’ providing a half-way house between home and school: youth clubs are closed, extra-curricular activities are highly organised and expensive; parents over-protect in the physical world.
“All of this happens at a critical time, just as they are moving away from their own parents, seeking both physical independence and the opportunity to differentiate from their parents, to espouse different opinions, to show to the world that they are growing up.
“The influencers of the manosphere recognise this and monetise it, by offering certainty to boys who are concerned about feeling invisible, by offering a ready-made identity, which saves the boy from the effort of working out for himself who he wants to be.
“At the Year 4 and Year 5 stage, we see the beginning of a shift that is usually very gradual: boys who were once talkative and expressive become more guarded, more aware of their appearance and their self-presentation in general from as young as nine or ten. Boys begin to resist any behaviours that may be read as ‘soft’ or weak; empathy, uncertainty, asking for guidance.
“The documentary ‘Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere’ made it uncomfortably clear that Andrew Tate is not the only problem. Parents often breathe a sigh of relief if their child reassures them that Andrew Tate is not part of their online world – and then don’t check what other content they are consuming. It’s so important that we sit with our children and let them walk us through their feeds at least once a month. “The manosphere is vast, and many of its most influential voices are ones most parents have never heard of; figures who fly well under the adult radar while commanding enormous loyalty among teenage boys.
“The misogyny they encourage is often less about hatred and more about fear; a fear of vulnerability, of not measuring up, of being seen as weak. It is only by entering this world and ensuring we understand it that we are able to understand our boys and the reality of their lives. We owe it to our children not to look away.”
So how can Rising Sons help? “At a time when boys are being pulled in many directions by social media, influencers and conflicting messages about what it means to be a man, Rising Sons offers something simple but powerful: connection, belonging and positive male role models.
“Through adventure, storytelling, challenge, play and reflection, boys learn that courage is not the absence of emotion. They learn that strength and vulnerability can exist side by side.
“And, just as importantly, fathers discover they are not alone: they meet other men who care deeply about raising good humans, who want to challenge outdated ideas about masculinity, who want to support each other as fathers, partners, friends and role models.
“A Year 4 boy told me recently, ‘It’s definitely not okay to cry on the playground. It hasn’t been okay since Year 2′. Showing emotion becomes something to be ashamed of; dominance (over their peers, girls in their class) is how respect is earned.
“For teens, this need to dominate is exacerbated by their social media content: at a time when they are simply trying to work out who they are, their feeds are quickly infiltrated by loud, overbearing, convincing voices instructing them how to act to achieve social, financial and romantic success.
“Netflix’s Adolescence exposed the painful reality of the damage inflicted by online misogyny in shaping a 13-year-old boy’s worldview. What made it so hard to watch was precisely how ordinary it all looked… until it wasn’t.”
She said if teenage boys don’t have positive male role models around them in real life, they turn to their peers to self-initiate and look online for examples of masculinity.
“At Rising Sons, we know that boys need trusted adults who can help them understand and express their emotions. We know that boys need friendships where they can be fully themselves. We know that fathers need community and connection. We know that if we want a different future for boys, we must start creating it now.”
Father Chris says he feels that Rising Sons has already strengthened his relationship with his son, Cal, and has brought additional benefits.
“Rising Sons gives Cal and me the opportunity to build our relationship in a deeper and more thoughtful way than perhaps is easy in the hustle and bustle of daily life – we already spend a lot of time doing stuff together, playing football particularly, but this is something away from his regular group of friends, his school, his siblings or wider family – this is just for him and me, a few hours every month that we really look forward to.
“While fathers are an essential element in raising sons, I really believe that boys need as many loving, positive and inspiring male role models and guides as we can squeeze into their lives – so for us to be part of a community of lovely men and their lovely sons (none of whom I knew a few months ago) is wonderful and something that I’m grateful for – that combined with the thoughtful and inquisitive guidance of our facilitators David and Hakay. Our sessions always lead so some great conversations about life, feelings, challenges and everything in between.”
Sons;
Sophia added: “Our programmes are currently piloting in St Albans and Brighton; we are being asked every week to provide training so that men can take Rising Sons to their community.
“For this reason, we have been crowdfunding for the last month. Our campaign closed yesterday and we have raised an incredible £16,880 to train 11 morefacilitators. If you believe our boys – and our girls – deserve a better future, you can find out more about our work at risingsons.org.uk.”
