Men's Health Awards 2021: Best New Initiative Shortlist
We are announcing the shortlists for the 2021 National Men’s Health Awards throughout Men's Health Week, starting June 14, 2021. Today we announce the 10 nominees in the Best New Men’s Health Initiative category.
The men’s health sector is growing and evolving and this year we want to celebrate some of the great innovation that’s emerged in the past 18 months. We are seeking nominations for Best New Men’s Health Initiatives from new projects that were founded no earlier than 1 January 2020, or from established organisations who have launched a new initiative in that timeframe.
BEST NEW MEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE: VOTE HERE
25twoZERO (NSW)
The 25twoZERO movement was officially launched by Mentoring Men in January 2021. It is the brainchild of one of the groups mentors, Shay Hare, with the aim of raising awareness of male suicide while raising funds for Mentoring Men.
25twoZERO is inspired by the fact that more that 2,500 men die by suicide in Australia every year. The campaign promotes the importance that physical exercise can play in improving both mental and physical health and encourages participants to get involved in some form of physical exercise that is broadly associated with the numbers 2520.
Mentoring Men works to support men to talk openly about their mental health in supportive environments and provide one-to-one mentoring support to all men who seek a mentor. Ultimately the group want to help reduce male suicides from over 2,500 per year to zero..
So far, 25twoZERO has raised more than $65,000.
Find out more at: https://www.25twozero.org.au/
Atherton Men’s Shed Physical Activity Program (QLD)
The Atherton Men’s Shed Physical Activity Program (AMSPAP) is a new joint initiative between local government, Atherton Mens Shed and Atherton Community Health. AMSPAP provides a safe, male-friendly space for men to exercise. The program provided individualised exercise programs to 25 men, over 16 weeks in a 2021 pilot. The program assisted the men to set goals, take pre, during and post measurements as well as weekly vital monitoring. The program has been a huge success and plans are underway to roll it out to many more Men's Sheds around the country.
Read more about the program here: https://www.theexpressnewspaper.com.au/community-and-business/new-program-to-boost-mens-health
Incolink Bluehats Program (VIC)
The Incolink Bluehats Construction Industry Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program provides a safety net for workers in the Victorian and Tasmanian construction industry.
Supported by Cbus Super and WorkSafe, Bluehats is a gatekeeper model of suicide prevention; a peer support network of workers supporting workers. Since the launch of Bluehats, Incolink’s counselling service has observed a 270% increase in workers presenting to counselling with suicidal ideation. Incolink has delivered around 200 Bluehats General Awareness Sessions to over 5,000 workers and trained over 300 Bluehats gatekeepers who know how to look out for workers at risk for suicide.
The COVID pandemic in 2020 resulted in Incolink having to respond to the needs of the industry in a flexible way. Recently, Bluehats has been redeveloped for digital delivery. This new digital capability means they have greater reach into regional areas and an ability to support workers in the event of unpredictable COVID restrictions.
Find out more: https://incolink.org.au/wellbeing-support-services/bluehats
+M Framework (VIC)
The +M Framework was developed at Brighton Grammar School to provide boys and young men, and their parents and teachers with content and knowledge about positive masculinity.
This includes character strengths and virtues, tools for self-reflection, links to curriculum, +M role models (in life and fiction) and understanding the role of various services, supports and resources (including mentoring).
The aim is the development of healthy beliefs in boys related to masculinity, mental health and wellbeing, leading to self-determined young men who will lead healthy lives in the broadest sense.
Brighton Grammar School has a broad commitment to “boy-centred learning” and Deputy Head, Dr Ray Swann, hosts an Understanding Boys podcast with a range of guests to explore “what does it take to be a good man these days?” The +M Framework was developed in partnership between Orygen: The Centre for Youth Mental Health and the Crowther Centre (Brighton Grammar School's research arm). Find out more about the +MFramework.
Mantle (QLD)
Mantle is a team of registered Psychologists who specialise in working with men and offer their one-to-one services online. Mantle specialises in working directly with Men, and draw on the latest evidence-based, academic research and techniques on what works for men in therapy. They say “when you see a Mantle psychologist, you’ll be speaking to someone committed to assisting you in becoming a better partner, father, son, brother or friend”
Mantle combines clinical services to support recovery from mental ill-health with evidence-based performance coaching to help men get “from good to great”.
Founded by Dr Dave Anthony, Luke Foster and Dave Burroughs, Mantle has a team of 13 Men’s Psychologists (nine male, four female), offering Telehealth services to men across Australia.
Mantle aims to not only increase men’s take up of mental health support, but also to provide services that are designed to work for men and so reduce the rates at which men drop out of therapy. Find out more here: https://mantlehealth.com.au/
Man Up Tasmania (TAS)
Man Up Tasmania (MUT) is a grassroots men's mental health organisation founded on the North West Coast of Tasmania in June of 2020.
Over the past year MUT has developed its first program, a volunteer peer support program (MUTs Mates). MUT, provides volunteers with various forms of training to equip them to provide peer support. MUTs Mates reach out to men in the community by attended male-friendly events such as car shows, automotive racing, fishing days and mountain biking.
In March 2021, MUT held its official launch event in partnership with Buttons Brewing with funding from the Mental Health Council of Tasmania. MUT says it reached more than 25,000 people through the event which showcased local service providers and included numerous bands and guest speakers.
MUT have been interviewed on the local "Get to know Howe" podcast, which can be found here: https://spoti.fi/35fgSuG
Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/manuptas
Prostate Awareness Australia (QLD)
Prostate Awareness Australia (PAA) is a construction industry initiative that aims to raise awareness of prostate cancer and drive the advancement of prostate cancer research.
PAA says: “Everyone can become involved to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Young guys on site can start the conversation with older mates and bosses, apprentices who hear the message can talk about it with their Dads, and young women, wives and Mums can take it home and encourage the men in their lives to have a regular PSA test.”
Prostate Awareness Australia was launched in July 2020 and has delivered its message to more than 7,000 workers at more than 100 sites, factories, yards and corporate offices.
The content of PAA’s talks is centred on evidence-based guidelines providing a brief overview of prostate cancer and statistics and a call to action.
PAA has recently partnered with the Translational Research Institute (TRI) PA Hospital to support a new research project.
Find out more at: www.prostateawareness.org.au
The Men’s Table (NSW)
The Men’s Table is a preventative men’s mental health initiative formed as a single men’s group in 2011. To support the Men’s Table’s growth from an informal ‘self-help’ strategy to a national network of Tables, the group set about developing its "Model of Care".
The Men’s Tables says that the effect of developing its model of care has been new partnerships, more funding, more men joining more tables, clarity of impact, fidelity to their model and a commitment to ongoing evaluation.
The report includes an endorsement former PM, Malcolm Turnbull: "As a preventative, low- cost, community-led initiative and endorsed by The Mental Health Commission, The Men’s Table’s aspiration of creating a national network of Tables will not only help individual men but have a cascading effect into their families, communities and Australia at large."
The Men's Table Model say their key learning is as follows: "Stories of impact alone = Insecure funding. Stories of impact + Evidence + A Model of Care = More secure funding".
For more information see: https://themenstable.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-Mens-Table-Model-of-Care-2020.pdf
Warrior Within (VIC)
Warrior Within, run by Asher Packman, began in 2017 as a small group of men meditating together in Melbourne. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Warrior Within launched an app/online platform in August 2020. They now manage a community of hundreds of men who can connect, share, access resources, and learn and practice the disciplines required to become a healthier man who can better serve life.
The basic app is free, with a subscription service offering four weekly live sessions (meditation, mythology, circle, breath work) and live monthly sessions led by world-class teachers, including an elder’s circle in partnership with the Minnesota Men’s Conference, founded by Robert Bly in 1982.
A physical gathering also takes place monthly, available as an introduction for men new to Warrior Within who may not be part of the existing community. In addition, extensive live online courses are available through the app, including a 12-week ‘Warrior’s Way’ program. Find out more about Warrior Within.
You Got This Mate (NSW)
The Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health’s Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) developed You Got This Mate in consultation with rural men.
Launched in in April 2020, RAMHP believe that improving rural men’s mental health needs goes well beyond getting men to talk - they need simple, actionable advice to keep themselves well and to know how to get help when they need it.
You Got This Mate provides men with practical tips and information about how and when to take action when it comes to their mental health. You Got This Mate showcases videos of men sharing their stories about their own journey and struggles with mental health and what they do now to keep well.
It connects men to local services, men’s mental health resources and includes a self-help quiz to track how you’re feeling and provide simple steps to take if needed.
Find out more at: www.yougotthismate.com.au