Leading Men’s Health in the ACT
In the ACT, the 2022 Men's Health Awards highlighted individuals and organisations who are committed to taking action in the men’s health sector.
This year the Awards focused on five categories: Indigenous Men’s Health, Men’s Mental Health Project, Getting Men Moving, Contribution to Men’s Work, and Men’s Health Leaders.
Presented by the Australian Men’s Health Forum, close to 3000 people voted on shortlisted nominees, while specialist judging panels determined winners of each category.
“We were thrilled to see such a strong and widespread list of people nominated for the Awards this year, including many great projects in the ACT,” said AMHF CEO Glen Poole.
“The work of everyone nominated affirms how passionate people are about helping men with the support and services they provide, and how important it is for them to be acknowledged.”
2022 Award winners ACT
Ken Oath Barbershop won the ACT People’s Choice Award. The Canberra-based mobile service provides haircuts alongside mental health support to men who wouldn't generally access mainstream services. The mobile shop is the size of a tiny home using coloured steel, salvaged wood pallets and even discarded doors from Old Parliament House. It was creating by barber Sam Dowdall - a trained crisis counsellor known as "The Barter Barber" – who previously spent five years driving around New Zealand offering crisis counselling to people all over the country as he cut their hair. The mobile nature of Sam's work enables him to deliver outreach services at a variety of populations across the ACT and NSW ranging from trades on work sites to NDIS projects for neurodiverse young men.
The following groups from the ACT were shortlisted for a 2022 Men’s Health Award.
The Healing Foundation [Indigenous Health Men’s Health] is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that was founded in 2009 to partner with communities to address the ongoing trauma caused by actions like the forced removal of children from their families. The Healing Foundation provides a platform to amplify the voices and lived experience of Stolen Generations survivors and their families and places a strong focus on advocating for the importance of Men's Healing and Women's Healing.
The Menslink Counselling team [Men’s Health Leaders]. Menslink started in 2002, having operated for a number of years prior to that as a young men’s support network under the auspices of the Woden Community Centre. All of the Menslink Counselling Team are men. They offer specific strategies that are relevant specifically to young men, helping reduce the severity of their mental health and life challenges. Those who nominated the Menslink Counselling Team said they were "relatable and passionate about their work" and were having a "significant impact to young men of Canberra".
A special mention also goes to Michael Aichholzer of Menslink, who has developed a program that enhances young men’s resilience and overall wellbeing, improving their relationship with themselves, those around them, family, friends, schoolmates and the wider community. His purpose is to foster well-adjusted, confident men that have a positive impact on the world.