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Symposium on Young American Men

November 3, 2025 · The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

The inaugural symposium

Each convening builds on the last. Revisit the speakers, sessions, and outcomes from last year’s inaugural Symposium.

What happened

One day of crucial conversations

Young American men face real challenges that demand urgent attention and thoughtful solutions that actually work. From skyrocketing mental health crises and declining college enrollment to digital addiction and social isolation, an entire generation of males is struggling to find their place in modern America. And it’s not just men who are hurting because of it. Women, their families, their communities, and their country all suffer as a result.

The Lafayette Company hosted the first-ever Symposium on Young American Men to tackle these issues. The event convened lawmakers from both major political parties, health care experts, men’s organizations, policymakers, researchers, and education leaders to examine the scope of these critical social challenges and present evidence-based proposals to improve male well-being.

The polling

The numbers that led the conversation

57%
rate their own mental health fair, poor or very poor
48%
have two or fewer close friends
40%
have no male mentor or role model
35%
are not affiliated with any organized group
48%
spend five hours a week or less with people in person
50%
spend five or more hours online every day

Cygnal, n=1,000, fielded October 22–26, 2025, margin of error ±3.01%.

Explore the full dataset

The recordings

Every panel. Every keynote. On the record.

All nine sessions were filmed and published in full.

  • The full day, as broadcast

    All nine sessions in one recording, from the opening remarks to the last panel.

    Watch on YouTube

  • Opening Remarks

    Patrick Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Knights of Columbus, opens the first Symposium on Young American Men.

    • Patrick Kelly · Knights of Columbus
    Watch on YouTube

  • New Data on Young American Men

    Alex Tarascio presents Cygnal's survey of 1,000 young men, including the open-ended responses in which they describe their own lives.

    • Alex Tarascio · Cygnal
    Watch on YouTube

  • Breaking the Silence: Addressing Young Men's Mental Health Emergency

    • Cole Lyle · American Legion
    • Dan Kain · Brotherhood DMV
    • Dr. Sally Satel, MD · Yale School of Medicine
    Watch on YouTube

  • Building Prosperity for Young American Men

    • Sen. John Cornyn · State of Texas
    • Dr. William Beach · Former Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
    • Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt · American Enterprise Institute
    • Patrick Bourke · American Institute for Boys and Men

    Moderator: Kate Odell · The Wall Street Journal

    Watch on YouTube

  • Meaning and Belonging: Building Strong Male Connections in an Age of Isolation

    • Sen. Ruben Gallego · State of Arizona
    • Antong Lucky · Urban Specialists
    • Wynn Smiley · Alpha Tau Omega, Chairman of the North American Interfraternity Conference
    • Col. Lance Van Zandt · U.S. Army (ret.)

    Moderator: Marc Caputo · Axios

    Watch on YouTube

  • What Young Men Need and What Policymakers Can Do

    • Alex Tarascio · Cygnal
    • Akash Chougule · FREOPP
    • Gonzalo Schwarz · Archbridge Institute
    • Dr. Taveeshi Gupta · Equimundo

    Moderator: McKay Coppins · The Atlantic

    Watch on YouTube

  • Restoring Resilience in the Digital Storm

    • John Cusey · Institute for Families and Technology
    • Saul Malek · Online gambling expert
    • Michael Marinaccio · Center for Responsible Technology
    • Del. Josh Thomas · State of Virginia

    Moderator: Chris Moody · Appalachian State University

    Watch on YouTube

  • The Role of Faith and Civic Institutions in Restoring Male Community

    • Sen. James Lankford · State of Oklahoma
    • Patrick Kelly · Knights of Columbus
    • Larry Wiese · Kappa Alpha Order
    • Michael DeVaul · Boys and Young Men of Color, YMCA

    Moderator: Mike Mayer · Theta Chi

    Watch on YouTube

  • The Campus Challenge: How Higher Education Can Better Serve Male Students

    • Dr. Larry Stimpert · Hampden-Sydney College
    • Dr. Steve McGuire · American Council of Trustees and Alumni
    • Dr. Dawn Watkins Wiese · Virginia Military Institute
    • Ed Magee · Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine, Belmont University

    Moderator: Dr. Anthony Mack · Sigma Alpha Epsilon

    Watch on YouTube

In the press

Coverage

The symposium and its polling were covered across national outlets.

All coverage

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