A different kind of masculinity
Pro Bono Australia
“It was life-changing & something I’ll never forget. Australia needs more groups like you.”
Year 8 Student
Compare any school, workplace or sporting club to what they were five years ago and you’ll realise just how much our world has changed.
So who’s giving the next generation of Australian men the skills to grow and succeed? To avoid depression and anxiety which has become so common in young men?
At The Man Cave, we work with young men, aged 12 to 16, and their communities to give them the skills to lead happier and healthier lives. Specifically, our programs foster healthy masculinity and positive mental health.
I want to know more and I am a
Student
Parent / Guardian
Educator
Partner / Donor
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Who do you want to be when you grow up?
Is it possible we’ve been asking young people the wrong question all this time? Instead of asking what they want to become professionally, shouldn’t we be asking who they want to be personally? Read More
Because isn’t that the real goal? To raise positive, confident individuals capable of achieving anything they put their minds to? To raise young people who feel comfortable expressing their unique spirit among friends and family members and who actively contribute to their communities?
Yet sadly, this isn’t the case for many young Australians, particularly young men. Too many adolescent boys continue to be taught that sharing how they feel is a sign of weakness, trapping them inside an identity that buries their emotions and represses their fears. This doesn’t just stifle their potential, it’s resulted in a national health emergency with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, and violence.
So at The Man Cave, we’ve made it our mission to do something about it.
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We’re redefining the journey to manhood.
After working with thousands of boys and men across the country, we’ve seen that many men feel uncertain about their identity. Society seems to be very good at telling men what they can’t do, but not very good at showing them who they could be. The truth is no one should ever feel ashamed to be themselves, men included. Read More
At The Man Cave, we start that journey with a simple idea: prevention is better than cure. That’s why we design and deliver programs specifically for boys between 12 and 16 years of age, a time when they’re mature enough to see the men they’re becoming, yet still receptive enough to let someone help shape it.
The shaping is guided by our team of charismatic and diverse facilitators, each an expert in youth engagement strategies. Using evidence-based workshops, specially developed by our programs team, the facilitators provide boys with real, tangible skills to help bring about positive behaviour change. And because our programs are co-creations between subject matter experts and the very boys who participate in them, they’re as enjoyable as they are effective.
Boisterous and intimate, challenging and life-affirming, The Man Cave offers each individual a safe, non-judgmental space to explore their own unique masculinity, all while promoting positive mental health, gender equality and encouraging respectful, fulfilling relationships. Because we believe these are some of the most important traits that will support our young men to thrive and avoid mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.
“One of the best wellbeing programs I have seen for young males.”
– Roseberry Middle School Psychologist
Find out more about the work we do by following us on social.
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Tom Elliott shares a personal story that only adds to his concerns about mental health during lockdown (ft. Matt Defina, Head of Programs)
3AW
