The Man Cave

The moment when a teenage boy taught us why laugh in inappropriate moments 🙏🏼 “I didn’t know how to be a friend… so I laughed.” It’s these little direct, simple nuggets of gold that we hear so often from boys in workshops, that speak to the experience of being a young man, and growing up in an environment where we seek deep connections, but are never shown how.

Young people are telling us they want more direct conversations to help them navigate consent. Season 2 of Is This OK?? will be airing at 4pm every Wednesday via The Man Cave on Twitch (and YouTube!), featuring facilitators from Minus18 Foundation, Elephant Ed and AIME. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gyhf_N7U

The Man Cave has been recommended in a Government-led review into violence prevention. Earlier this year, following a sharp rise in homicides of women and children at the hands of men, the Australian government called for an urgent review into preventative approaches that could help reduce the harrowing family, domestic and sexual violence statistics. That review has been finalised, with The Man Cave listed as one of the “successful healthy masculinities models” delivering meaningful change in communities, alongside a range of other fantastic organisations. The review found that working with men and boys is critical, and specifically recommends that Australia should develop a nation-wide, coordinated, co-designed and strengths-based approach to engaging with men and boys on healthy masculinities and violence prevention, in both in-person, community-based settings and online. After 10 years of work in the sector, it is extremely encouraging to see prevention-based programs that focus on young men’s strengths, rather than their deficits, being talked about as a critical part of the solution. We know from our work with 70,000 young men over the past decade that the best way to empower them is to be in the room with them, and we stand at the ready to help state and federal governments implement a coordinated, nation-wide approach. We also stand on the shoulders of giants, and the many, many organisations, individuals and activists who have worked tirelessly in the space for many years without recognition. Read the full Rapid Review here: https://lnkd.in/gUjyV4yb

Our CEO Hunter Johnson spoke on ABC Radio Canberra following the release of Movember’s Real Face of Men’s Health report, with Alice Matthews Investing in men’s health - and more specifically in our context, investing in the wellbeing of teenage boys, the next generation of Australian men - is critical, not just for them, but for the communities around them, too. We are at a critical juncture and we’re calling on the government to fund the 2020-2030 Australian Men’s Health Strategy, because when our fathers, brothers, sons and mates are healthy and well, we know that entire communities feel the benefits. The report outlines the state of men’s health across Australia and makes clear the benefits that would ripple through families, communities and societies if we improved men’s health - including billions of dollars in savings by preventing avoidable conditions in men and supporting them to lead healthier, longer lives.

Answering these questions and more for Is This OK?? - live via Twitch in September 💭 These are some of the questions that young people ask us when it comes to the topic of consent, sex and healthy relationships. We’ll be answering these via The Man Cave on Twitch, every Wednesday from 4pm in September. Details: https://lnkd.in/gyhf_N7U Thanks to our partners Minus18 Foundation, AIME and Elephant Ed who’ll be joining us on these streams, and to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing for supporting this project

A privilege to be invited to speak at the Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium recently. Our CEO Hunter Johnson was one of the panel speakers, sharing our insights into how teenage boys - the next generation of Australian men - are feeling right now, in a chaotic post-COVID world, and how we can bring men on the journey of gender equality and prevention. It is not lost on us, the opportunity to share at such an event, alongside an array of incredible speakers who are all fighting for gender equality in many different ways. Bringing men on this journey is critical, for themselves, and the people around them. Thank you to Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) for having us.

Young people are telling us they want more direct conversations to help them navigate consent and healthy relationships - so in September, we are back with Season 2 of Is This OK?? Following the success of last year's Season 1, we are once again going to be joined by our legendary partners at AIME, Elephant Ed and Minus18 Foundation to explore these conversations in a direct, fun and engaging way. Visit this link to find out more, including how you can tune in: https://lnkd.in/gyhf_N7U

Now is the time to invest in men’s health - and we visited Parliament House this week alongside Movember to call for this. Movember launched their groundbreaking Real Face of Men’s Health report, and we were proud to stand alongside them, sharing our insights into the experiences of the teenage boys we work with - the next generation of Australian men. It is heartwarming to see growing and bipartisan support for men’s health from our governments. We are at a critical juncture and we’re calling on the government to fund the 2020-2030 Australian Men’s Health Strategy, because when our fathers, brothers, sons and mates are healthy and well, we know that entire communities feel the benefits. The report, which is linked in our bio, outlines the state of men’s health across Australia and makes clear the benefits that would ripple through families, communities and societies if we improved men’s health - including billions of dollars in savings by preventing avoidable conditions in men and supporting them to lead healthier, longer lives.

Thank you to Tim Richardson for dropping by Man Cave HQ to discuss our programs with young men! 🙏 Tim is the MP for Mordialloc, an area in which we’ve run many programs with teenage boys. He is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change and Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health & Suicide Prevention, so his values align closely with our work. "The Man Cave is fostering a culture of healthy masculinity in schools across the state, allowing young boys to learn the importance of speaking out and opening up,” Tim said - we’re so grateful for your support.

We're looking for a HR Advisor - and there are two days left to apply! 🏃🏽 If you... 🤝 Have a proven ability to implement HR policies and manage employee HR inquiries 🤝 Are an excellent communicator with the ability to work across diverse organisational departments 🤝 Feel keen to join a charity with a strong workplace culture at an exciting stage of its growth ...then we really want to hear from you! 😃 https://lnkd.in/gnZ9ekVF