Empowering Our Youth
At the end of last term we ran a series of mental health sessions for all year levels across three days. These programs, developed to support mental health, were run by The Man Cave and Flourish Girls. Students were lead through a range of activities, affording them a safe space to explore issues they are experiencing and empower them with positive strategies and ways to seek help.
The Man Cave program aims to empower boys to become great men by providing them and their communities with impactful programs, role models and resources. The sessions involve preventative mental health advice and support participants to improve their emotional intelligence. During this time, students are encouraged to focus on their strengths, rather than their deficits. The Man Cave vision is to create a world in which every young man has healthy relationships, reaches his full potential and contributes to his community.
Flourish Girls had a similar approach, guiding the girls through a range of exercises, designed to create a safe space for them to discuss their experiences and to feel more connected to their peers.
The program recognises that girl’s self confidence is at an all time low and that girls are feeling more isolated within their communities. Further to this, 70% of young people say that the pandemic and response has negatively affected their social connectedness (AIHW, 2021). 74% of young people are reporting that their mental health is worse since the outbreak of the pandemic (Headspace, 2021).
We were incredibly fortunate to be able to run these programs and could not have done so without the support of the Pyrenees Shire Council and Grampians Community Health.
'Without the support from the Council and Grampians Community Health, we wouldn't be able to provide the program to all students. There is a clear need for this type of workshop in our schools. Our young people have experienced major disruptions to their learning and social development because of Covid. These programs are about starting the conversation and getting students to understand that the issues they are experiencing are felt by many of their peers. The mental health statistics indicate that our young people need additional support, and these programs are about empowering the students with resources, knowledge and services they can access'
-Miss Conroy
'It was really good to hear everyone else's experiences and know each other's struggles. The presenters were really easy to relate to and gave us some practical tips on how to manage stress.'
-Jet Kerr Yr 10
'Flourish Girls was an eye-opener for us as we learned how others are feeling and what they are going through'
-Matilda Venes Yr 9
'It allowed the girls to open up and be comfortable with their peers. I feel like it made it better by knowing we have a lot of support around us, making it easier for girls to share their experiences.'
-Annie Kehoe Yr 9
More information about The Man Cave and Flourish Girls programs can be found on their websites:
Thanks to the Pyrenees Advocate for compiling this article.
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