The first comprehensive study of men who work and volunteer with kids in a variety of public settings, this book brings to life diverse histories and experiences of men who have worked as coaches, teachers, youth ministers, probation officers, Big Brothers, Boys/Girls Club staff, 4-H agents, and the like. Drawing on in-depth interviews with men between the ages of 19 and 65, ethnographic observations, and more than twenty years of research on fathers, sociologist Marsiglio explores men's motives for doing youth work, effective interpersonal strategies, the perception and expression of mentoring, the mutual influences that youth work and fathering have on each other, the youth workers' own personal development, and the impact of social policy and programmatic initiatives. He offers a forward-looking vision for getting men more involved, and involved more productively, in helping kids thrive.--From publisher description.