Brother’s Keeper working to help young men feel connected

Editor’s Note: This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — There is a loneliness epidemic, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, and one group that’s been particularly affected is young men.

Between 2010 and 2023, the suicide rate for males ages 15–24 rose by 26% according to the American Institute for Boys and Men.

One man is trying to change that.

“From a very young age, boys are taught that certain feelings, they can’t express,” said Matt Wooters, therapist and a professor at John Carroll University.

He said that’s enforced on social media and with their peers.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, to feel any spectrum of emotion,” Wooters said.

He started a group called Brother’s Keeper. It’s a safe space where young college men can share about more than just football scores. They meet monthly.

“There’s a lot of talk about toxic masculinity in the modern discourse. And it’s interesting that there’s also a lot of talk about male loneliness and isolation,” Wooters said. “I think those two things are connected.”

Men are more likely than women to feel socially isolated and not meaningfully part of any community, according to the AIBM, and their suicide rate is four times higher than women.

“I think it really stems back to the phones and social media, even when we seem like we’re super connected with others, there’s a sense of loneliness, and that connection that it’s not really genuine,” said junior Casey LaForce.

LaForce attends the monthly meetings. He plays lacrosse and considers himself close to his teammates, but he said the talks just aren’t the same.

“You just see each other and you ask ‘Oh, how’s your day going? Oh, it’s good.’ And it doesn’t go much deeper than that,” he said.

He said that the conversations in the group are much deeper.

Wooters said he intentionally chooses athletes.

“Even the most connected, successful, popular students on campus, especially male students, don’t have spaces to be authentic,” Wooters said.

He said men don’t share with family because they don’t want to be a burden.

“One single adult in their life that isn’t a family member, that they can call when they’re not doing well or when they’re doing well, changes everything,” Wooters said.