Wesley Leading the Way in Men’s Wellbeing Awareness

Posted June 19, 2024 in Opinion By Community Relations

Wesley students and staff gained valuable insights into men’s mental health and wellbeing from industry leaders at the WA Men’s Wellbeing Conference.

Six of Wesley’s Year 11 students recently attended the WA Men’s Wellbeing Conference hosted by the Australian Men’s Health Forum, Men’s Talk AU and Richmond Wellbeing. Year 11 Head of Year, Mr Jim Simpson, Director of Student Wellbeing, Mrs Sophie Carroll and Acting Head of College, Mr Nathan Jessup, accompanied the students to hear about the issues, support programs and strategies for Men’s Health.

Thanks to support from Richmon Wellbeing and Men’s Talk AU, Wesley College was privileged to be the only school with students in attendance. Keynote speakers included Dr Nathan Gibson, WA Chief Psychiatrist, Mechelle Turvey, 2024 WA Australian of the Year, and Dr Bruce Robinson, Respiratory Specialist and founder of The Fathering Project. Ou students also had the opportunity to attend different breakout sessions, exploring topics from Lifeline, Men’s Table, Mental Health in Elite Sport, and hearing from Men’s Health WA – an extremely valuable experience.

We spoke with Mrs Carroll about the impact attending the conference had on Wesley’s wellbeing program:

“Key takeaways for me were the importance of codesign with intersections that are impacted by support programs, the dialogue around young men needing to find purpose, and responding to the confusion that surrounds the multifaceted nature of modern masculinity and the importance of male role models. It was also heartening to connect with so many different support agencies for the diverse needs of men in our community and how much great work is happening in WA.”

“The absence of youth voice within the discussion was very apparent. Being able to discuss and share the conversations with the students who came with us was an absolute highlight for me. We asked for their thoughts on the various comments being made by industry professionals about male youth, and they gave such great insight into how they feel about the discourse of men’s mental health. I am looking forward to meeting with these students next term to further explore what they took away from the conference, and the initiatives they would like to champion at Wesley College. It will be a wonderful to continue to codesign our programs with those who are impacted by it the most, our future role models and champions for men’s health and wellbeing.”

 

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