The Richmond Forum

?? Today we celebrate Virginia Speech & Debate Awareness Day, which marks the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry's thunderous "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech that persuaded lawmakers at the Second Virginia Convention to begin preparing troops for war. His declaration has inspired generations of Virginians to use their voices to stand up for their convictions and enact revolutionary change. We are proud to provide opportunities for Greater Richmond students to harness the power of their voices through speech and debate programs. #wearespeechanddebate #va250 #rvaforum #rfsdi #patrickhenry #revolutionaryrhetoric

Are boys and men falling behind? According to author and researcher Richard Reeves — and 56% of the Richmond Forum audience in a pre-program poll — the answer is a resounding “yes.” But Reeves is quick to clarify that this is not a zero-sum game. “There are still huge issues facing women and girls,” he noted. “If we pose it as a false choice, then we are in trouble.” “One of the reasons people are reluctant to talk about these real issues with boys and men is because they think it will somehow distract from or diminish the ongoing need to work on the issues of women and girls,” he continued. “People can care about more than one thing.” ?? Read more about Richard Reeves's Forum program at https://lnkd.in/eVEEE9hi. ?? After viewing Reeves' program, what is your perspective on the discourse about masculinity in the modern era? #rvaforum #rvaforumreeves Wells Fargo, YouDecide, Covington Travel, Universal Corporation

With twangy vocals, tasteful guitar riffs, a groovy rhythm section, and fun yet introspective lyrics, The Sugar Hollows are “some kind of rock band” from Richmond, Virginia. This Saturday, they will provide musical entertainment at "Are Boys Falling Behind?" with Richard Reeves. The Sugar Hollows' performance is proudly sponsored by CW Advisors. #rvaforum #rvaforumreeves

We are thrilled to welcome L. Robert Bolling to the Forum stage this Saturday to moderate the audience Q&A for "Are Boys Falling Behind?" with Richard Reeves. Bolling is the chief executive officer of ChildSavers, a 100-year-old nonprofit that guides our community’s children through life’s critical moments with trauma-informed mental health and child development services. During his tenure, ChildSavers has expanded its once-local reach into two-thirds of Virginia, serving 38,000 children. So, what questions do you have for Reeves about masculinity in the modern age? #rvaforum #rvaforumreeves

"Growing numbers of men are detaching from work." "For most of those who are in a job, wages have stagnated. In fact, one reason that the gender pay gap has narrowed is that median male pay has fallen, surely a suboptimal way to achieve equality. But while women have been catching up with men, workers on the top rungs of the economic ladder—men as well as women—have been pulling away from everyone else. The deepest fissures in the labor market are not those between men and women. They are between white and Black workers and between the upper middle class and the middle class and working class." - Richard V. Reeves, "Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It" Next Saturday at The Forum, Reeves will explore the economic and social factors contributing to this systemic struggle, unveil the challenges and paradoxes inherent to navigating masculinity in the modern age, and offer a vision for a future where all can flourish.

?????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????????? & ???????????? ?????????????????? ??????! Research shows that participation in competitive speech and debate programs leads to significant academic and personal benefits, including: ?? 87% improvement in analytical skills ?? 0.66-point higher GPAs ?? 31% rise in school attendance ?? 52-point higher math SAT scores ?? 57-point reading and writing SAT scores ?? 15% boost in self-esteem ?? 5x greater likelihood of enrolling in a top 10 college Perhaps most impressively, 98% of speech and debate participants graduate from high school, compared to the national average of 87%. Since launching in 2018, the Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative has been committed to ensuring every public middle and high school in the region has access to speech and debate programs. Currently, RFSDI has successfully implemented and supported programs in 91% of high schools and 32% of middle schools across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, and Petersburg. However, there is still work to be done. If your local school does not offer a speech and debate program, let's change that together! The following schools currently do not have a program: ???????????????? Albert Hill MS Lucille Brown MS Boushall MS Martin Luther King Jr. MS River City MS ???????????????????????? Thomas Dale HS Bailey Bridge MS Carver MS Elizabeth Davis MS Falling Creek MS Manchester MS Matoaca MS Midlothian MS Providence MS Robious MS Tomahawk MS ?????????????? Highland Springs HS Elko MS Quioccassin MS John Rolfe MS Pocohontas MS Short Pump MS Tuckahoe MS ?????????????? Hanover HS Bell Creek MS Chickahominy MS Liberty MS Oak Knoll MS ???????????????????? Vernon Johns MS If your school is not listed, that means they already have a team! Next June, the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament will descend upon Richmond, allowing our students to go toe-to-toe with thousands of top competitors from across the country. It's time to show the world what our students can do! Please join us in celebrating National Speech & Debate Education Day and help us continue to bring these life-changing opportunities to students in Richmond and beyond. National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) #WeAreSpeechAndDebate #NSDEday

Our next speaker, Richard V. Reeves, is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, the only national research organization dedicated to issues affecting boys and men. Earlier this month, AIBM published a report outlining the patterns and trends in county-level sex ratios. Nationally, there are about 98 men for every 100 women. While more boys than girls are born (about 105 boys for every 100 girls), men die, on average, earlier than women. The sex ratio, defined as the number of men per 100 women, therefore varies significantly by age. Skewed sex ratios within communities have been linked by scholars to a wide range of social dynamics, including crime, mortality, relationship formation, and bargaining power in the marriage market. Over the last 20 years, the share of counties which are majority-male has doubled, from 24% to 48%. There are many potential reasons for this trend, but one likely cause is more women leaving rural counties for educational and employment opportunities in cities. Geographically, the South tends to have more women than men, while the West and Midwest tend to be the opposite. In 75% of counties, primarily in rural regions, there are more men than women aged 20-39. However, urban counties tend to have more women than men. For example, the City of Richmond has just 90 men for every 100 women. The concentration of women in urban counties is not limited to the United States. Several factors may be driving this trend, though more research is needed: → Colleges are concentrated in urban areas and college attendees are increasingly female. → Urban labor markets often offer more dynamic opportunities, particularly for those with college degrees. → Public services may allow women to more easily combine work and family life. At The Forum, Reeves will explore the economic and social factors contributing to the systemic struggles of boys and men. What do you think? Do these shifts need to be cause for concern? #rvaforum #rvaforumreeves

???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? Richard V. Reeves is the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, an organization with a mission to raise awareness of the problems of boys and men and advocate for effective solutions. In 2022, he published his book “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It,” which The New York Times described as a “landmark” and The Economist and The New Yorker named a book of the year. He is a non-resident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where he previously directed the Future of the Middle Class Initiative and the Center on Children and Families. His research focuses on boys and men, inequality, and social mobility. Reeves’ previous roles include director of strategy to the United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, from 2010 – 2012; director of the political think tank Demos; principal policy advisor to the U.K.’s minister for welfare reform; social affairs editor at The Observer; and economics correspondent for The Guardian. He is a contributor to The Atlantic, National Affairs, Democracy Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. In 2017, Politico named Reeves one of the top 50 thinkers in the United States. His other books include "Yes, Boys Can! Inspiring Stories of Men Who Changed the World" (2024), “Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It” (2017), and “John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand” (2007). Reeves sits on the board of Jobs for the Future and is an adviser to the American Family Survey and the Equity Center at the University of Virginia. Reeves has a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and a doctorate from the University of Warwick. On March 22, Reeves will navigate masculinity in the modern age at The Richmond Forum. #rvaforum #rvaforumreeves

Rose Borchert, a 2024-2025 Richmond Forum Scholar, got a peek inside Coach K's playbook when she accompanied him at The Forum last Saturday. "I was excited to meet Coach Krzyzewski because of his unparalleled success and wisdom in basketball and leadership," Borchert said. "From his program, I gained insights into his strategies for building and sustaining a winning team, as well as his approaches to mentorship and personal development.” Borchert is a junior at Saint Gertrude High School where she holds an office in student government and participates in the model judiciary and general assembly clubs. She plans to pursue a career in political science, international relations, or law. #rvaforum #rvaforumcoachk #rvaforumscholars

"Give your team a chance to celebrate the journey they experienced. Make it fun for them. They deserve to have a night all their own." - Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski Before he took to our stage on Saturday, we celebrated a milestone with Coach K: his 78th birthday. Thank you to our corporate patrons for helping us make this a special night, not only for the Forum audience but for Coach K, too. #rvaforum #rvaforumcoachk