“Failure to Launch” is more than a term of pop psychology or the name of a movie. For many young men today it is a reality. Reliable statistics and anecdotal evidence bear this out.

What failure to launch means is that an increasing number of our young men are not achieving, let alone to their full potential. While debate may exist whether young men are “falling behind” or merely not “doing as well as girls” the fact remains that they should be succeeding at much higher rates than they are.

The problem affects all of our young men, regardless of race or ethnicity. While the evidence indicates that the problem is far more significant and chronic among minority youth, white young men have also begun to fall short of reaching their full potential.

The US and the world are becoming increasingly competitive. For the success of our society as well as our young men it is therefore essential that we begin to address this issue in a meaningful way.

For over two decades educators, scholars, researchers and others have been pointing to increasing evidence of a failure to launch among our young men. Much examination and effort has gone into the quest for what is known, what needs to be known, and what can be done. Many individuals, groups and organizations have grappled with this issue, with varying degrees of success.

What has been needed for some years is a national effort to call attention to this issue, to raise consciousness about it, to spark debate and dialogue about meaningful solutions to it, and to serve as a central point of dialogue that cuts across a range of interests and organizations.

The Boys Initiative was founded to begin that effort.