Kibble Kibble Douglas College The Link University of Victoria ACYCP Cal Farleys University of Victoria ACRC MacEwan University Lethbridge Medicine Hat TRCT Algonquin Bartimaues Lakeland St Lawrence Homebridge Waypoints Bow Valley Sheridan Allambi Youth Services Amal The PersonBrain Model Red River College Mount Royal Seneca Lambton Mount St Vincent TMU Girls and Boys Town
CYC-Net

Today

Stories of Children and Youth

AUSTRALIA

Young Canberra men go bush on path to manhood with mentoring program

For the average city dweller, going bush can be a recipe for relaxation or adventure. But for a special group of young men from Canberra, the adventure is being used as a way to guide their way to manhood.

The Menslink organisation uses mentoring and education to guide young men through tough or lonely times. For the past two years, six young men from all different backgrounds have been paired with older role models.

"There's a lot of young guys from broken families lacking role models that just need an adult male mate they can trust," Menlink mentoring manager Ben Triglone said. "They really just give them friendship, it's certainly not about telling them how to live their lives."

Saturday marked the end of the program with a bushwalk in Namadgi National Park connecting them with nature and lost skills.

"How do you know how to pitch a tent unless someone shows you? How do you know how to go fishing unless someone shows you? Brett McNamara from ACT Parks and Conservation said. "The message that I wanted to give to people was that nature is just a wonderful area to immerse yourself in. It nurtures your mind, your body and soul."

Niagha Ward, 15, was one of the six Canberrans involved in the graduating cohort. He joined the program in 2014 because he did not have a male role model in his life.

"The whole thing overall has been a really great experience," he said. "I've had the opportunity to learn so many things from my mentor and from other students that are involved."

During the two years, Niagha worked on motorcycles with his mentor Mike Corke. "He is a really serious rider. He has five bikes so we would just work on them together. It was pretty cool," he said. "Having his support has been really good and he just listens… He teaches me about how to be a man."

For many in the group, going hiking and staying overnight in the bush was a new experience.

On the final day the group hiked up to Yankee Hat rock.

"We walked down a two-kilometre trail and looked at some Aboriginal artefacts and paintings," Niagha said. "I found that very interesting because I am Aboriginal myself as well."

Mr Corke said it was amazing to see Niagha grow into a "confident young man" over the two years. "Over two years he has gotten pretty good at talking," he said. "For some young blokes today it can be quite hard to know what being a man is all about. It's an opportunity for them to come together as a bunch of young blokes with a bunch of older blokes."

By Siobhan Heanue

27 August 2016

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-27/young-men-go-bush-on-path-to-manhood-with-menslink/7791478

PREVIOUS STORY

The International Child and Youth Care Network
THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK (CYC-Net)

Registered Public Benefit Organisation in the Republic of South Africa (PBO 930015296)
Incorporated as a Not-for-Profit in Canada: Corporation Number 1284643-8

P.O. Box 23199, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa | P.O. Box 21464, MacDonald Drive, St. John's, NL A1A 5G6, Canada

Board of Governors | Constitution | Funding | Site Content and Usage | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Contact us

iOS App Android App