Raising happy, healthy boys in today's world

First, we speak with Vermont Public's housing and infrastructure reporter Carly Berlin, about a new state  initiative intended to spur housing construction in Vermont. It's a catalog of prefab homes that would help people fastrack their approval process and keep costs of new construction down.

The specific challenges facing boys and young men often make headlines: For the last 50 years, for example, the number of male students on college campuses has slowly but steadily decreased. And young men are also more likely than women to experience drug and alcohol addiction.

For parents of young boys, these headlines and statistics can be particularly distressing. What can we control in our homes to help our boys navigate the world with confidence, happiness and care? 

Two guests join Vermont Edition to discuss the art and peril of raising boys. Keegan Albaugh is the founder of Dad Guild, a Burlington-based nonprofit that supports masc-identifying caregivers by running playgroups, educational events, pick up sports, peer support groups, and more. Kate Mangino is a Virginia-based speaker, facilitator and writer who is in Vermont to host a series of parenting workshops this week. She’s the author of the book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home.

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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