The final Youth Ambassador Council meeting for 2025–26 brought eight young men from NSW and Queensland together in Brisbane.
An early start and a big day ahead
For our NSW crew, the day started before sunrise at Sydney Airport. What followed was a huge 17-hour day filled with plenty of laughs, honest conversations, reflection and connection.
And once the NSW team arrived in Brisbane the whole council quickly reconnected like your favourite family gathering. A quick team challenge led by Youth Worker Josh helped shake off the early-morning cobwebs and get everyone moving.
Learning what healthy relationships look like
The group took part in a pilot of our new Level Up: Healthy Relationships workshop.
Led by Grad Club Coordinator Keely and Training and Development Lead Dayne, the session encouraged the boys to explore how they communicate, reflect on the relationships that matter to them and practise healthier ways to manage conflict.
This is an important part of how we test and strengthen our programs. By listening to young people and learning from their experiences, we can keep our content practical, relatable and genuinely useful. It also ensures young people’s voices remain at the heart of our work.
And the connection didn’t stop when the sessions did. During the breaks, the World Cup was projected on the big screens and the boys gathered around to cheer on their teams. There were also some very competitive games of table tennis!
Taking an honest look at masculinity
Later, Dayne and Top Blokes Youth Worker Vin led an open conversation about masculinity and the influence of online trends such as looksmaxxing. The discussion helped our team better understand how online culture can shape the way young men see themselves and navigate their lives offline.
One of the clearest themes was that harmful ideas don’t always arrive looking harmful. They can begin as a joke, a meme or seemingly harmless self-improvement advice. But as the language becomes normalised and algorithms serve up more of the same, some young men may begin tying their self-worth to appearance, status or sexual success.
The young men also highlighted what can help: honest conversations with trusted adults, stronger critical thinking about online content, and more visible, relatable male role models who demonstrate healthy ways to live and connect with others.
Finding their why
One of the day’s highlights came when Rafay, a Youth Ambassador of two years, stepped up to lead the Find My Why values workshop with support from Josh. The boys explored their passions, strengths and the contribution they want to make. It was a great example of a young man finding his voice and using it to help others find theirs.
More than a group
Then came the tough bit. Saying goodbye. As a way to close the curtain on the journey that was shared between these boys over the past year, it was bittersweet to lead the room in guiding affirmations towards each other. This gave recognition and left each young man with gratitude and affirmation of not only each other and their experience, but of themselves. The boys took to this easily, where in a circle, they gave a kind affirmation and thanks to the boy who sat next to them, showing the connection they had made in the journey they shared from the year passed.
As Top Blokes Youth Worker Keely reflected:
“What a privilege it is to work in a position where I get to have a day like this, and see the living and breathing connections that exist between our young men. This day signified the connection that young men have, and their ability to be vulnerable and open when given the chance.”
The boys received a Top Blokes jumper to remember their time together before heading home – closing one chapter, but certainly not the whole story.
The journey doesn’t end here
These young men leave the Council with stronger voices, deeper connections and a clearer sense of who they are and what they can contribute. They’ve shown us what can happen when young men are given a safe space to speak, listen and lead.
The day reminded us all what young men are capable of when they’re given the chance to be open, honest and vulnerable.
With encouragement and someone willing to truly listen, they don’t just step into that space themselves – they create it for each other. That’s what the work at Top Blokes is all about: empowering young men to support one another and lead healthy and safe lives.
Added Keely, “We wish the boys all the best in their next steps in life. Knowing full well that by being their authentic, vulnerable, curious, empathetic selves, they will naturally empower others by leading by this example. We know that by living these values authentically, their Top Blokes journey will not end here.”
These young men are our future. And we couldn’t be prouder of them. Thank you to them all. We are looking forward to continuing to work with you and helping you realise your passions.
Applications for our Youth Ambassador Council 26/27 are now open. Closing date for all applications is 10 August 2026.
