Category: In the media
‘Reducing the damage’: Nick was angry and anxious
Categories: In the mediaWhen Swansea’s Nick McMurrugh was being bullied at school, he got help from a psychologist. That helped a lot, but he was also living with anxiety and too much anger. He joined the Top Blokes program, which helps young males openly discuss their mental health with mentors. A key benefit of the program was “not being talked down to by…
Children as young as six exposed to porn, principals warn
Categories: In the media[Source: Emily Kowal @ Sydney Morning Herald] Melissa Abu-Gazaleh has spent the past 18 years travelling to schools, mentoring young men with her charity, Top Blokes. She presents on a number of issues: drugs, alcohol, risk-taking. But there’s one topic guaranteed to have boys raising their hands, desperate to talk: porn. “Young men have a…
The anti-Andrew Tate: how youth workers can counteract the impact of masculinity influencers
Categories: In the media[Author: Amanda Dylina Morse, Research Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast] Andrew Tate – online content creator, podcaster, former kickboxer, and subject of ongoing human trafficking investigations – has gained widespread influence with millions of men and boys. Tate promotes financial independence, being “mentally and physically strong,” and being successful with women, interspersed with (sometimes violent) misogyny. For my PhD research, I worked…
Creating Brave Spaces
Our awesome Regional Coordinator on the Sunshine Coast, QLD chats to local radio station Caboolture Community 101.5FM with Rotary Association member Shane. Reece shares with listeners how our programs work in schools and across community – he creates a brave space for young men to be respectful to each other, those around them and themselves.…
Top Blokes bring young men’s perspectives to the table at Parliamentary hearing on pornography
Today, the Top Blokes Foundation is speaking at the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the impacts of harmful pornography on the mental, emotional, and physical health of young males. Top Blokes is excited to be part of this important conversation, bringing the voices of young men to the table and advocating for meaningful change in how…
Hearty Hunter souls Lift the Load for Top Blokes Foundation
It was deemed tougher than a National Rugby League pre-season. But, a group of Hunter-based locals – including former NRL star Liam Foran, Newcastle Knights NRLW assistant coach Mark Wilton, Macquarie Scorpions mentor Jye Bayley and Lakes United Seagulls Life Member Tony Delany – braved the elements and pushed through the pain barrier for a…
Chris Duke takes on the Lift The Load challenge for mental health awareness month
Chris Duke knows all too well the mental health challenges young men can face. In the space of just six weeks in the middle of last year, the 36-year-old lost his mother and then he and his pregnant wife lost their first baby of around 20 weeks. A Detective Senior Constable with the WA Police…
‘Don’t bottle everything up inside’: 21yo’s mission for young blokes
Daniel Stephen will help “carry the burden” of mental health for young men in a gruelling challenge on Saturday. He’ll wear a 10-kilogram vest while running 50 kilometres from Singleton to Warners Bay. The run is part of Lift The Load, a challenge run by mental health foundation Top Blokes. Daniel said many young blokes…
The man in the vest: Lee Mallon’s 10kg challenge for mental health awareness
While walking around Kiama in October, you may spot a man in what looks like an army vest. That man is local resident Lee Mallon, who is wearing a 10kg vest for 10 hours a day throughout the month to raise awareness for mental health. When I learned about Lee’s challenge, I reached out to…
Walking in the shoes of people struggling with mental health is the aim of challenge
Michael Birrell has lost a mate to suicide and is now looking to do something to take the burden away from people confronting mental health issues. The Ulladulla resident is a member of a Lift the Load Challenge team which is raising awareness and money for the Top Blokes Foundation.Hospitalisation due to self-harm among kids…