Black Men Matter Series: Behind the Mask, Mentoring & the Power of Community for Boys | Ashanti Branch

In this episode of The Male Perspective, host Lana Reid sits down with Ashanti Branch, Founder and Executive Director of Ever Forward Club, to discuss the lunch conversations that sparked what would become more than two decades of mentoring, emotional development work, and youth leadership support. Branch reflects on what those early conversations with young men revealed about the need for community and explains how programs such as the Ever Forward Club, Peer Mentoring Club, and Social Emotional Leadership Academy now help students build trust, accountability, and emotional awareness.Ashanti discusses Ever Forward’s long-term outcomes, including a 100% high school graduation rate, and examines the harmful messages about manhood that boys continue to receive. He shares how the Taking Off the Mask Workshop grew into the global Million Mask Movement, where people around the world use mask work to confront hidden fears, pain, and questions of identity. He also discusses how Ever Forward supports educators through professional development, the purpose behind tools like the Adventure Card Game, and why emotional honesty and present fatherhood remain central to what young men need most.𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵:https://everforwardclub.orghttps://www.instagram.com/everforwardclubhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclubhttps://www.youtube.com/@everforwardclub...𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝘁:https://linktr.ee/theladylanareid. ..𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/4019OO6Amazon Music - https://bit.ly/41UlLI2iHeart Radio - https://ihr.fm/3BOmdx4Pandora - https://bit.ly/3CezvD8Spotify - https://spoti.fi/40eoPxr🔔 Want to be a guest or have a guest idea? 📝 GUEST SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/owz3k5i3xpwzsEZs6#EverForwardClub #MillionMaskMovement #MentoringBoys #BlackBoysMatter #EmotionalWellness #Manhood #YouthMentorship #SocialEmotionalLearning