Vote for the 2022 Men’s Health Leaders Award
Updated July 5, 2022: Voting is closed for nominees shortlisted for the Men’s Health Leaders Award in the 2022 Men’s Health Awards, presented by the Australian Men’s Health Forum.
Following a record number of nominations across Australia, these shortlisted candidates were determined by AMHF’s judging panel, who will select a national winner.
A State/Territory winner including all five categories in the 2022 Men’s Health Awards will be selected by “People’s Choice” based on public votes.
Men’s Health Leaders
This category is open to groups and individuals taking a lead in the men’s health sector and making a difference through their commitment, passion and approach to building a better future for men and boys.
Those shortlisted for the Men’s Health Leaders Award are:
Men Care Too (TAS)
Men Care Too aims to provide news, information and resources for the more than one million men in Australia who are in unpaid caring roles. One of its resources, The Men Care Too weekly newsletter, celebrated its 200th edition at the end of 2021.The driving force behind Men Care Too is Greg Smith, a male carer himself, who has been caring for his mother since his early 20s.
As well as a focus on male carers, Men Care Too also have a broader commitment to promoting the health and wellbeing of all men, with Greg taking on the local ambassador role for national initiatives like RU OK? Since moving from NSW to Tasmania in 2020, Greg and Men Care Too have taken on running a range of regular events for local men including The Man Walk Ulverstone, Mr Perfect BBQ's in Ulverstone, Railton and Burnie and the weekly MATES coffee club for male carers.
Men Care Too also take out running one-off events, often with the backing of the local Primary Health Network. Recent events have included the 2021 Allied Mates Forum for frontline workers, focused on making local services more male-friendly and the Mates Night event for Men's Health Week 2022.
Find out more: https://www.mencaretoo.org/
The Men's Table (NSW)
The first Men’s Table (MT1) began in 2011 with 12 men who have met once a month for dinner ever since.
The organisation has since expanded and now supports 60 monthly Men's Tables across Australia and was recently rewarded with Government funding under the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program.
The Men's Table's vision is "healthy men, health masculinities, healthy communities". The organisation helps men build meaningful male friendships and connection by creating safe places to share, overcoming the stigma that “men don’t talk”. In recent years, The Men's Table has been commissioned twice by The National Mental Health Commission to undertake research into men’s wellbeing.
The group's internal research finds that 80% of men who attend a Men’s Table report a benefit to their mental health and wellbeing; 84% of men who attend a Men’s Table feel a stronger sense of community belonging and 95% of men who attend a Men’s Table feel it is a safe place to share.
Find out more: https://themenstable.org
Tomorrow Man (VIC)
Tomorrow Man facilitates workshops for boys, teachers and parents in schools, and men in sporting clubs, workplaces and communities. The organisation explores how men can look after themselves, their mates and their families better while "carving out our own version of the Aussie man".
Tomorrow Man believes that outdated stereotypes of masculinity "is leaving some of our mates, dads, sons, uncles, teammates, workmates and brothers stranded without the tools for a healthy life". With this in mind, Tomorrow Man aims to disrupt old school male stereotypes; build and practice using emotional muscle and define a healthier version of masculinity to live by.
Tomorrow Man says "It’s time we got in a room to have a no-holds-barred conversation about the state of man; face the stats and create room to break the stereotype".
Find out more: https://www.tomorrowman.com.au
MATES in Construction (QLD)
MATES in Construction has been delivering industry-backed, research-based, suicide prevention and support since 2008. Beginning life in the construction industry in Queensland, MATES now operates across Australia and New Zealand within a range of male-dominated industries including construction, mining and energy.
MATES has demonstrated that with support from the top down, communities will take action from the bottom up to make a difference. To date, more than 230,000 construction workers have participated in MATES program and more than 22,000 volunteers have trained as "connectors" across more than 1,000 work sites.
In 2016, a five-year review of MATES conducted in 2016 showed that suicide rates in the industry had fallen by almost 8% after the introduction of MATES in Construction. It was also shown that Governments saved $4.6 for every dollar invested in MATES.
In 2021, MATES was recognised by the World Health Organisation when the program was highlighted as a Best Practice approach to preventing suicide.
Find out more: https://mates.org.au/
Men's Talk (WA)
Men’s Talk AU has burst onto the men's health scene in WA in the past 12 to 18 months, with a passion to "collaborate with the community to mainstream conversation around wellness and masculinity for all who identify as male".
In November 2021, the group hosted the Men’s’ Talk Life Expo in Scarborough, featuring a variety of exhibitors and displays to provide advice, assistance and information on a range of topics for men of all ages including: physical and mental wellbeing; support groups; parenting; relationships; nutrition; sport and recreation; hobbies; financial advice; personal and body awareness; education and career planning.
The event provided food, music and a range of activities, making it accessible and attractive to men. Building on the success of this event, Men’s Talk AU celebrated Men's Health Week 2022 with an impressive calendar of activities including workshops, webinars and a celebratory "Sundowner" event to end the week.
Find out more: https://mtalk.com.au
Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing (SA)
The Freemasons Centre for Male Health & Wellbeing (FCMHW) is an alliance of organisations that collaborate and jointly invest in multidisciplinary research and initiatives, the outcomes of which informs policy and practice to advance the health and wellbeing of males, and their families and communities.
The Centre for Male Health & Wellbeing brings together academics from the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute with the backing of the Freemasons of SA and the NT and the Flinders Foundation.
FCMHW's research agenda directly responds to the leading health and wellbeing challenges facing men and boys – as well as their families and communities.
FCMHW also develops and promotes evidence-based men's health information and programs such as GIRTH (Get Involved Reach Top Health), a 12-week peer-led community based healthy lifestyle program for men and run by men.
The Freemasons Centre for Male Health & Wellbeing is the leading organisation keeping men's health on the agenda in South Australia as well as contributing to improvement of men's health nationally and internationally.
Find out more: https://fcmhw.org.au/
MensLink Counselling Team (ACT)
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. Menslink was established to meet the increasing needs of young men and their families in the ACT community. Menslink supports young men across our region in three ways:
1. Encouraging them to speak up and get help, or inspire their mates to get help, through educational sessions in schools and other community groups;
2. Providing long-term mentoring support from positive male role models, especially for young men who are socially isolated or no longer live with their father;
3. Providing intensive short-term counselling to help them get through stressful life events with the least amount of harm to themselves and those around them.
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 nominating the Menslink Counselling Team say they are "relatable and passionate about their work" and are having a "significant impact to young men of Canberra".
Find out more: https://menslink.org.au/
International Men’s Day Forum Darwin (NT)
The International Men's Day Forum in Darwin began in 2019 when Rebecca Forrest - winner of the 2022 NT Australian of the Year Local Hero Award - ran a panel on ABC radio to celebrate International Men’s Day.
The panel discussion was so successful that the following year the International Men's Day Forum was born in Darwin, with a commitment to "making a difference for our Territory men". The day-long event brought together an impressive line-up of speakers including Movember co-founder Travis Garone; founder of the Clontarf Foundation for boys, Gerard Neesham OAM and Professor Mick Dodson AM, the Northern Territory Aboriginal Treaty Commissioner.
A second International Men’s Day forum was held in Darwin in 2021 with 220 people attending. The program focused on a range of themes including generational change; youth engagement; building resilience; suicide prevention and mental health; men’s health and the importance of communicating and sharing how you feel.
Following the loss of police friends and colleagues to suicide in recent times, Bec has ramped up her efforts to support Territory men by hosting a Men's Health Week Walk and Expo, touring a men's panel discussion and bringing leading suicide prevention advocates to the Territory to champion this year’s International Men's Day, held in November.
Find out more: https://www.nooneleftbehind.com.au/events/international-mens-day-forum