A prison officer is to hold a webinar next week in a bid to build character in boys and young men.

Dorian Tucker will lead Raising Boys to Become Men event, organised by the Women’s Resource Centre, to encourage parents to use character-building strategies on their sons and to be present in their lives so they grow up to be well-rounded men.

He said: “Male children in particular are being left to fend for themselves or to figure things out by themselves.

“There’s not too much emphasis on how to given them an opportunity to have a vision.”

Mr Tucker, who has worked in the prison service for 33 years, said that the message was important for parents with sons because men were more likely to commit crime and suffer from substance abuse than women and attributed it to a lack of direction.

He added the message was aimed at fathers because their presence was vital for adolescent boys.

Mr Tucker said: “Without the guidance of a male there’s that yearning to have someone let them know where they’re going and their vision.

“Most male children grow up without their father giving them the okay that it’s okay to do this or okay to do that.”

He added: "The ones that I’ve come into contact with in prison normally didn’t have a father in the house to say ’this is okay to do’ or ’this is not okay to do’.“

Mr Tucker said it was important to “raise a child with intention”.

He added: “Instead of just saying ’let’s give you chores to do’, raising them with intention means you’re training them to be responsible for their areas and take pride in keeping themselves tidy and clean and setting a standard.”

Mr Tucker said that parenting with intention relied on a leadership-based style of parenting rather than a managerial one.

He added that leadership styles of parenting, where reasons for actions are given, gave a necessary sense of guidance for children.

Mr Tucker said that he carried out his research through his work at the prison system, as well as by looking at his own life.

He added: “I came from a household where my father was a father that drank a lot.

“At first you learn ’okay, that’s what I’m going to do’, but you have to make a decision and most sons either declare that ’I’m never to be like my father’ or ’I’m going to be just like my father’.

“I realised that that’s where the nurturing from the father comes in.”

Mr Tucker added that he developed his methods by applying the leadership skills he learnt in the workforce and applied it to his own parenting skills as he raised his now-adult son.

He said: “It’s an opportunity to train – you’re just constantly training your child as if you were in an organisation training your employee.”

Mr Tucker added that, although the conference was aimed at men, it would also be beneficial for mothers who are raising boys because it could give them a better understanding of what their sons needed.

The free webinar will be held over the Zoom app next Thursday from 6pm to 8pm.

For more information, contact the Women’s Resource Centre at wrc@wrcbermuda.com or 295-3882.