‘Top blokes‘ to mentor at-risk Qld boys, teens

“Young boys and teens at risk of crime, violence and unemployment will be mentored to get them back on track in the early years of their life. Boys struggling to engage with education aged 10 to 17 years old at Brisbane or Gold Coast schools will be connected with the Top Blokes Foundation, a youth service dedicated to helping young men succeed. The foundation ’ s mission is to mentor young men, boys and teens to redefine their notion of a ‘top bloke’ as resilient, empathetic and authentic. The funding is part of the Queensland government ’ s Kickstarter early intervention program, a scheme designed to try new models of early intervention. The announcement comes as teachers worldwide grapple with the effects in the classroom of the rise in misogynistic and manosphere-style content beliefs that blames gender equality for societal decline. One effect has been inappropriate comments and behaviour towards female teachers in the classroom. This has included being barked at, belittled and inappropriately touched by male students in schools. Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere documentary explored the teachings of ultra‑masculine online influencers. Top Blokes has two programs for boys, one for 10 to 13 year olds and another for 14 to 17 year olds. Mentoring sessions for the younger cohort focus on promoting a safe and healthy lifestyle, covering areas like bullying, vaping, transitioning to high school and mental health. More on this story: Guide to handle ‘manosphere’ in classrooms | Teens green light violence against ‘disobedience’ | Student survey on consent, relationships ed Boys talk about peer pressure, cyberbullying, healthy relationships, discrimination, personal hygiene and health, drugs and alcohol, and anger management. The older teenager program discusses leadership and resilience, online behaviour, pornography, sexual health, and racism and stereotyping. Speaking about the programs, Top Blokes Foundation NSW state manager Daniel Allars said young men often want to talk about issues like pornography and relationships, but don ’ t know where to start or who to go to. “We don’t look at things through the lens of ‘Don’t do this, or don’t be that person’, it’s about defining what communication, connection, trust and vulnerability looks like in a relationship,” he said. “There is a lot of hope when you actually talk to young men and create a space for them, it will surprise you how open they are to the conversation, and how much they want to do the right thing. “They want to have healthy relationships, they just don’t know how. So the more we can give them tools and experiences to help them, they will do it.”

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