Wednesday, June 12th

BCNY is proud to showcase our Masks, Emotions, and Math Project, another successful and insightful partnership with Ashanti Branch and Ever Forward Club. 

Ever Forward with The Boys’ Club 

“Our first partnership outside of the Bay Area, we are so excited to share what these boys and young men have created. Congrats BCNY members for creating something impactful, beautiful, and useful that can be used throughout the rest of your lives.” – Ashanti Branch, Founder & Executive Director, The Ever Forward Club 

In this quote, Ashanti Branch shots out the work BCNY members and staff put in to make the most out of this project. He is excited to see the work these boys do in the future as they have conversations with their community, family, and friends about what they learned about masks, emotions, and the math behind the work.

The Masks, Emotions, & Math Project 

In the Masked Workshop Project video, a production fully made by members and staff, our boys name the emotions we show in front of our mask and the emotions we keep behind the mask. They also name who we can go to when experiencing negative emotions, such as friends and trusted adults. In it, we can see our Explorers, Juniors, and Teens, showing that these emotions are universal and in us all. By naming them, members reclaim connection and agency that otherwise gets lost when we forget how to take off the mask. 

The Math Behind the Mask 

The emotions we keep in front and behind the mask are shown in digital masks created by members who anonymously surveyed 80 BCNY members. The math behind the masks shows our shared emotions. Words like “funny” and “energetic” are large because many boys keep those emotions in front of their masks, as are words like “scared” and “anger” that we keep behind the mask. The math helps boys see that they are not alone in feeling what they feel. To go from filling out a survey anonymously to seeing, face-to-face, the different feelings we all hide behind our masks provides a moment of deep self-reflection and connection- one of the goals of Ever Forward’s Million Mask Movement.  

Conclusion 

Thank you to Ashanti, Ever Forward, and our members and staff for creating a deeply reflective and powerful project. The entire process of this work helps ground BCNY’s unwavering mission around strengthening our boys’ mental health and connection with themselves and their community. Together, we’re making a difference, one mask at a time. Ever forward. #BCNYStrong 

A special shoutout to the BCNY members who made this possible:  

Elijah: Actor | Data Input | Planning

Noah: Actor | Planning 

Michael: Data Input | Director | Planning

Miguel: Data Input | Actor 

Mason: Actor

Aaron: Actor | Data Input 

Winston: Actor | Planning

Ethan: Actor | Planning 

Mason: Actor | Planning

Kevin: Data Input | Actor 

Ethan: Directing | Planning | Data Input

Lionel: Flyer | Directing 

Lucas: Actor

Trevor: Actor 

Isaiah: Recorder | Editor | Actor