FAQs
Below you’ll find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. But if you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@themancave.life
As many Australian men struggle with poor mental health, men across our communities are being harmed by outdated systems of masculinity.
The statistics are damning: one in five boys are likely to experience depression or anxiety before they turn 18, suicide is the leading cause of death for young men under the age of 25, and over 90% of sexual abuse and 95% of family violence is committed by men. Supporting boys, specifically, to develop a positive and healthy identity not only improves their mental health and helps them as they grow into men, it improves the quality of life of every member of the community. The research shows that young men are more likely to benefit from programs and settings that are familiar, male-friendly and non-judgmental. Focussing on boys’ strengths rather than their deficits is a pillar of The Man Cave’s work.
We’re often asked about why we don’t run programs for girls and young women. As our name suggests, The Man Cave’s focus is on addressing the specific experiences and pressures faced by the majority of adolescent Australian boys.
We firmly believe that programs that empower girls and young women are extremely important and best led by those who identify as women. If your school or community group would like a recommendation of a program to run simultaneously with The Man Cave, ask us to connect you with one of the incredible organisations currently supporting young women.
Man Cave takes the training of all program facilitators, who are bound by our Child Safety Policy and the National and State-based child safety laws and regulations in which we operate, extremely seriously.
All facilitators must maintain a current Working With Children Check at all times during their employment. All facilitators must attend Child Safety Training program at least once per year, facilitated by a body independent of Man Cave. All facilitators have also all completed the Berry Street trauma-informed practice training and youth mental health first aid training. Finally, it is mandatory that a teacher with the relevant State-based accreditations be present in our programs at all times.
Our facilitators are not necessarily psychologists or counsellors. They do not provide professional mental health advice or diagnoses to participants during or after our programs. Rather, they are experts in youth work and facilitation. Our Heads of Training, as well as our CEO and Head of Culture, have more than 50 years of facilitation experience between them, delivering programs to hundreds of thousands of young people around the world.
Coming from diverse personal and professional backgrounds – including teaching, coaching, psychology, facilitation and consulting – our facilitators represent a wide spectrum of the Australian masculine experience. This makes them uniquely placed to provide the necessary empathy, understanding, and connections to engage with workshop participants.
Each of our facilitators has undertaken mandatory child protection and safety training conducted by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, as well as an ongoing professional development program designed by some of Australia’s leading youth work experts.
Additionally, every facilitator holds a valid Working With Children Check and most of our facilitators are accredited in Youth Mental Health First Aid. As an integral part of our programs, when appropriate, our facilitators will refer students, teachers, and community members to a wide range of free, 24/7, mental health services. We also work in close partnership with relevant wellbeing and student services that may be available in a given school or community.
Our Code of Conduct and Child Safety Policy clearly outline the child safety standards by which we hold all of The Man Cave staff and facilitators. If you suspect that any of our staff or facilitators has breached the Code or our Child Safety Policy within one of our programs, please contact our Child Safety Officer and Head of Operations and HR, James Lolicato, at james.lolicato@themancave.life
The Man Cave is based in Victoria, Australia, and currently offers programs for boys, young men, parents and educators in Victoria and NSW.
But to meet the growing demand for our services, and depending on availability, we are always interested in taking our message of changing the conversation around masculinity and young men further afield. We are also proud of our strong international reputation for delivering powerful keynote presentations and panel discussions and will consider these on a case-by-case basis.
The short answer is no. We only run facilitated workshops through schools and sporting clubs and do not conduct private one-on-one workshops, counseling or therapy.
ReachOut is an excellent hub of resources and links to specialist and generalist services throughout Australia.
Also, the “Check In App” is a helpful resource created by BeyondBlue that gives simple and practical tools to support friends and family during difficult times.
Yes!
We now offer a Foundations workshop for Year 6 groups. It is a full-day, immersive workshop delivered by our highly-trained, diverse facilitators, with a strong focus on building emotional literacy, empathy and help-seeking behaviours. Learn more about the program here, or lock in a meeting to speak to our Bookings team.