EVALUATION OF THE FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2006
The following is a distillation of 30 pages of suggested outcomes that were made by speakers and participants at the From Babies to Blokes: The Making of Men Conference conducted by the Men's Advisory Network (MAN) at Fremantle from 29 October to 1 November 2006.
You can download a copy of the Conference Evaluation brochure, or the complete list is available on request by email from admin@man.org.au.
ACTIONS FROM THE FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2006
For Men’s Groups to encourage men and boys to:
Look after their health especially their weight, depression and anger management through sleep, exercise, good food, social networks and community service.
Encourage men to find time to mentor boys in their local school.
Encourage boys, with the support and presence of their father or a significant male, to both bond well and to know their place in the world through being initiated into manhood through the Pathways Foundation.
Encourage men to take up family friendly work routines to balance their time, energy and attention between work and home.
Actively promote “men say no to violence!” at home, at work and in the community in order to positively disassociate violence from maleness/manhood.
Foster men’s ability to clearly communicate both their thoughts and feelings to further enhance harmony in relationships.
Encourage men to deal effectively with age and life transitions through personal reflection and deep discussion with others that enhance emotional and spiritual maturity.
Encourage men and boys to have regular time in nature to give time and attention to their emotional/spiritual selves.
Strengthen bonds between wodjala and Aboriginal men and boys to share together Aboriginal culture, heritage and spirituality by regular, quality time together.
Touch their newborn child affectionately whatever the baby’s gender and to continue to do so as the child matures to strengthen the bond between father and child.
Establish a list of recognised male elders who are a resource to other men and boys.
For MAN to advocate governments and other agencies on behalf of men and boys to:
Support fathers in the equal co-parenting of their child at every stage of their development through to adulthood.
Establish links with Principals Associations to advocate for the welfare and wellbeing of boys under their management.
Strengthen links with the Pathways Foundation to advocate for the initiation into manhood of all teenage boys.
Establish links with organisations such as “Alternatives to Violence Project” to assist men and boys to find other ways to express emotion and frustration.
Advocate to universities and other institutions to undertake men and boy specific research on a variety of men’s health and wellbeing issues.
Publish and distribute MAN’s Mission Statement in a format such as “we have a dream of an Australia where...”
Advocate to the Health Department to provide increased funding to MAN to further extend its work as WA’s peak body for men’s issues.
Advocate to the State Government to pilot a men’s health centre and monitor its effectiveness for the health and wellbeing of men and boys in the local community where it is situated.
Strengthen all links with Aboriginal men and boys so that any improvement in men’s health and wellbeing flows through to all men and boys, including Aboriginal men and boys.
Strengthen all links with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse men and boys so that any improvement in men’s health and wellbeing flows through to all men and boys, including CALD men and boys.
Promote men’s sheds and men’s groups as positive and proactive ways for men to link with other men.
Run a series of monthly workshops in partnership with the Subiaco Community Development Centre about men’s health issues.
Encourage employers to adopt family friendly work practices and promote the benefits of these to the men they employ.
Further investigate gender based analysis in public policy as a tool for governments to understand the consequences of their policies on the lives of all people, whatever their gender.
Request State and Federal Governments to establish an Office of Men’s Interests along the same lines as similar bodies (women, seniors, children and youth)
Foster the establishment of national plus state and territory peak organisations for the interests of men and boys