The Albanese Labor Government is investing $3.5 million to support three innovative projects promoting and encouraging healthy perceptions of masculinity among school-aged boys.
The Healthy MaTE trial has been given to three projects:
- Empowering Boys to Become Great Men - The Man Cave
- The Common Ground Project: Future Fit Masculinities - a consortium led by the Foundation for Positive Masculinity
- Active Respect - The Men's Project (Jesuit Social Services)
Each of the projects will receive around $1 million in funding to trial activities that focus on influencing and changing attitudes and behaviours that may lead to gender-based violence by encouraging healthy, respectful relationships among school-aged boys.
This includes in-person workshops to build the emotional resilience of young men and boys.
The projects will begin from early 2025 and run through to 2026.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth will today visit The Man Cave in Melbourne to see planning for the new projects in action and speak with young students about respect. She emphasised the importance of encouraging healthy understandings of masculinity for Australian youth.
"This funding is ultimately about creating safe, respectful and empowered communities - and that starts with our young people," Minister Rishworth said.
"The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 specifically identifies the need to engage with men and boys to develop healthier and more satisfying positive relationships with their male peers.
"Through the delivery of positive, educational workshops in schools, such as Empowering Boys to Become Great Men by The Man Cave, we can evaluate and determine what approaches are effective in encouraging healthy expressions of masculinities among school-aged boys."
Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, said these initiatives will help participants gain greater understanding of healthy forms of masculinity resulting in better outcomes for participants and their peers.
"Through initiatives like Healthy MaTE, we can challenge gendered social norms, and address the underlying values, attitudes and behaviours that can lead to healthier masculinities," Assistant Minister Elliot said.
"I look forward to working with The Man Cave, Jesuit Social Services, and the Foundation for Positive Masculinity on how these initiatives contribute towards a whole-of-society approach to encouraging healthy masculinities among school-aged boys."
CEO and Founder of The Man Cave, Hunter Johnson, said: "The Healthy MaTE initiative is a landmark investment into our school-based programs, and it means we can reach thousands more young men before negative attitudes, behaviours and belief systems take hold."
"We know from experience, and the evidence, that this is the first critical step required to drive down rates of gendered violence, male suicide and mental ill-health," Mr Johnson said.
Ray Swann, Executive Director at the Foundation for Positive Masculinity spoke about the broad approach that projects like these will take.
"We believe in a whole community approach, working together with parents/guardians, students (of all genders), and educators," Dr Swann said.
"Focused on year levels 7 to 11 across four nationally representative schools, our plan, over the next two years, is to establish evidence-based activities and programs that encourage healthy expressions of what it means to be a man today and tackle social attitudes and behaviours that drive violence against women and children, stopping gender-based violence before it starts."
Matt Tyler, Executive Director of Community and Systems Impact at Jesuit Social Services, said the trial will build on existing successful programs to promote positive and flexible ideas around masculinities and help young people to be their best selves.
"We know that by working directly with young people and those who support them - like sports coaches - we can shift behaviour and ultimately work to prevent gender-based violence," Mr Tyler said.
"This project will equip young soccer players and their coaches across 30 Victorian soccer clubs to lead positive and tangible change on and off the pitch."
