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As many Australian men struggle with poor mental health, men across our communities are being harmed by outdated systems of masculinity.Read More
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.Read More
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.
Our facilitators are not necessarily psychologists or counselors. They do not provide professional mental health advice or diagnoses to participants during or after our programs.Read More
Rather, they are experts in youth-work and facilitation, having delivered programs to thousands of young people across Australia and the rest of the world. Coming from diverse personal and professional backgrounds – including teaching, coaching, psychology, facilitation and consulting – they represent a wide spectrum of the Australian male 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. Read More
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, Claudia Fatone, at claudia@themancave.life or in her absence, our Operations Manager, Daniel Datnow-Jamieson, at daniel@themancave.life For a complete statement of commitment to child safety, please visit https://themancave.life/policies
Our focus is on impact over scale, and as we are based in Victoria, Australia, this is where we deliver the majority of our work. Read More
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.Read More
If a boy or young man you know would benefit from private counselling or therapy or needs extra support, there are some useful resources for mental health support services (here).
ReachOut is an excellent hub of resources and links to specialist and generalist services throughout Australia.Read More
Also, the “Check In App” (which you can find on Google play of the App Store) is a helpful resource created by BeyondBlue that gives simple and practical tools to support friends and family during difficult times.
No. Read More
We work with young men aged between 12 and 18, meaning the majority of our school-based programs are with students in the early-to-mid high school years (7-10) and occasionally in upper high school (11-12).