NEW BOYS2MEN PROGRAM

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Boys2Men is a new initiative by Interchange Outer East which aims to provide a safe and supported place for young males with a disability to explore who they are, the men they want to become, and to gain tools to further them on their path towards becoming good men.

The program is targeted at males aged 14 – 24 years and will run over a six month period, starting July 2018. It will be staffed by two regular male staff members who will call on the expertise of others, as required, when presenting particular topics. The course will be run over weekends and on weeknights.

For participants with NDIS funding, the individual out of pocket cost of the Boys2Men course will be $350, with the remainder able to be invoiced to their plan under Core Funding/Capacity Building. For non-NDIS participants the all-inclusive cost will be $6749.18.

The program has been established to address a need for supporting young males with a disability to have the opportunity to spend time with other males on a regular basis, work towards achieving and experiencing new skills and to explore and discuss relevant and contemporary topics about being a male with other young males and older male mentors.

The course content will be delivered with fun and challenging activities through which a narrative about key discussion areas / themes for the month will be woven. Participants will learn about:

• What it is to be a man
• Coping with anger
• Building better relationships with those around you
• Dealing with peer pressure
• Resilience skills
• Mental Health
• Sexuality

In addition Boys2Men will present a series of challenges and life skills to participants through which they can work to address anxiety and feelings of competency over every-day tasks. This may involve such things as sewing on a button, buying a meal, learning to give compliments, changing a tyre etc. Each participant will have a journal which documents their journey, achievements and areas for further exploration. This will be completed by the staff members and participants.

For information, contact the IOE Specialist Services team at specialist.services@ioe.org.au