Top Blokes Foundation in Sydney, Australia | Youth organisation

Top Blokes Foundation

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Address: Level 11, 65 York Street 2000 Sydney, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.topblokes.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation
• Youth organisation

25.01.2022 Just a quick shout out from our mentors Lana, Adam and Buster to some of our awesome top blokes at Dapto High School who have become peer support leaders. We are super proud of you guys and the work you are doing as upstanders in your school community!

25.01.2022 We’re doing it again, but this time, we’re stepping it up with our Marathon Madness Virtual Challenge! This October aka Mental Health Month, help us raise funds to continue our programs that support boys and young men’s mental health. Why young men? 1 in 7 experience depression or anxiety each year we’re still not sure the full extent of what the recent lockdowns have resulted in. We do know that young Australian males have the lowest rates of help-seeking. We mentor boys a...nd young men to change this, but we need support. Most of us are still experiencing the effects of lockdown some more than others but Marathon Madness is for everyone, regardless where you are. This challenge is all about what YOU can do. You can choose to do the 21km Half Marathon, the 42km Full Marathon, or really show off and go the 50km + Ultramarathon. You can run, walk, swim or do whatever you like, wherever you like. You can space it out over the month or do it all at once. You can cover the distance yourself, or sign up as a team to figure out who amongst your friends will be furthest fastest. We’re launching today to give you as much time as possible to start unlocking your rewards. If you raise $100, $500 or $1,000 by the first week of October, you’ll begin accessing some awesome gifts, including Marathon Madness hats and Top Blokes water bottles! Just by signing up, you’ll receive our Fundraising Pack that includes info to help you fundraise and a link to our Marathon Madness Spotify playlist. Get started here: https://tbf-marathon-madness.raisely.com and help us make a difference to young male health, 1 kilometre at a time.

25.01.2022 Have you ever been in a difficult conversation with a friend and they have raised something about their mental health and you don't know how to respond? Or maybe you felt like you were scared to say the wrong thing? With the end of Movember coming up, it's a good time to share Movember Conversations, a recent tool Movember Australia have introduced to help people develop the skillset to have difficult conversations with their mates.... The tool uses simulated conversations and allows you to choose appropriate responses based on what the individual is saying. So this means you can practice the important chats before you actually have them. It also follows the ALEC framework for having conversations about mental health: - Ask - Listen - Encourage - Check in This 4 step process can help guide your thinking on what to do when you’re in these conversations. Check the tool out for yourself - we are already going through it multiple times: https://conversations.movember.com/

24.01.2022 This is brilliant. Native Australian flowers are known for their resilience and longevity in order to cope with the challenging environment that Australia presents - the same qualities that we want for our boys as they face the challenges life can throw their way. In support of the work we do, Flowers Across Sydney have customised the Wildflower Posy Box with native Australian flowers, and for the month of November, they're donating 10% of its sales to Top Blokes. Thank you for the support - we're loving the symbolism!

23.01.2022 Happy Father's Day to all the Top Blokes raising Top Blokes. Whether you're a father, stepfather or father figure, your role is important beyond measure. Continue leaving your legacies #fathersday #fathersday2020

23.01.2022 What does a man look like in 2020? How do you role model healthy behaviours for the boys and young men in your life? These are some of the key questions that Martin Heppell from The Resilience Project asked on the latest episode of the Slow Love podcast. "Masculinity is moving more towards vulnerabilitywhat we need to start modelling for the next generation isthat we can show that we don’t have it all sorted. If we’re not talking about our failures with our kids, kids are n...ot talking. 65% of adolescents don’t talk when they’re going through some serious stuff. They don’t talk because we don’t model it to them." Our mentoring works with boys and young men because we're human and honest, so we our relatable. We tell our stories and talk about our experiences and what we learned from them. We're not perfect - the only thing you'd get from a perfect person is judgement for not being perfect yourself. Don't be perfect - be human. Some great points from Martin. Listen to the rest here and let us know what you think: https://www.slowlove.net//episode-27-martin-heppell-the-re

21.01.2022 By the end of October, you could cross Completing a marathon off your bucket list... Our Marathon Madness Virtual Challenge will be running (pun intended) throughout the month of October, aka Mental Health Month, to raise funds that will support boys’ and young men’s mental health and well-being. Sign up now to conquer your Half Marathon (21 KM), Marathon (42 KM) or Ultra Marathon (50 KM+) goals! Do it wherever you are and at your own pace over the month, or smash it out in... one day it’s up to you. Sign up individually and spread the word of your marathon feats to get your friends and families donating to your page, or sign up as a group and figure out who amongst you will be furthest fastest (and unlock your bragging rights). To help you keep track, there are virtual badges for you to collect. There are also special badges for those of you who complete your marathon goals in a single day But it’s not just badges you’ll collect you can also unlock some rewards as you achieve your fundraising goals, including Top Blokes drink bottles, Moral Combat card games and more! Sign up now and unlock your first reward: a custom Marathon Madness Virtual Challenge cap. Achieve your bucket list and help make a difference to young male health 1 kilometre at a time: https://tbf-marathon-madness.raisely.com

20.01.2022 Last Thursday on International Men's Day, we hosted our first virtual webinar, 'Let's Talk Young Men's Health', and what an awesome event! Thank you to our brilliant presenters Maggie Dent, Dylan Roos, Cooper Chapman and our mentoring team for sharing your ways to engage young men in the tough conversations around mental health, pornography, masculinity and more at home. The more homes we can make safe spaces where young men feel they can talk openly, the more we can do to en...sure they lead healthy and safe lives and positively impact those around them. Another thank you to all of you who attended the event from all around the world and brought your questions for discussion. It was a fantastic night (or morning for our international viewers) - we definitely hope to do it again! For those of you who missed the event, you can catch some of the content through our eBooks, available to download for free: www.topblokes.org.au/resources

19.01.2022 Thank you to the Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo for supporting our Mustang raffle and helping us show off the beautiful Mustang Dolores on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th May. A great set-up from the organisers and in a fantastic location made it a huge success with over $8,500 in ticket sales for the day!

19.01.2022 Those who society labels as ‘Monsters’, I know are never born this way, because the truth is they are made, shaped by years of trauma, neglect, and a lack of access to adequate health care, support and empathy, the men I’ve met serving time are often the result of prolonged and intergenerational cycles of abuse. And the longer I’m there with them, the more I realise...I’m there to remind them of their humanity and to remind myself of my own. This is incredible insight from ...She is Not Your Rehab from his experience as a child of a man who committed domestic violence to a man who works to rehabilitate perpetrators and remind them of their humanity. It’s difficult to tackle the issue of domestic violence without digging deep and discovering the humanity that’s often been stripped away from ‘Monsters’ who perpetrate these horrific acts. It’s this intergenerational cycle of abuse that we need to tackle, with programs and solutions targeted at boys and young men in their formative years, as well as those targeted at men who lead them as role models. See more

19.01.2022 It's such a great feeling when the boys get in touch with us to tell us how the programs have helped them. Our Queensland mentors Toby and Tyson got these handwritten letters from some of the primary school boys they mentored this past semester.

16.01.2022 The average age that a boy will first watch pornography is as early as 13. The average age to first have sex is 17. That’s 4 years of sex, consent and relationship education from porn. Our mentor Dan spoke on the impact porn has on a boy’s or young man’s ability to have a healthy sexual relationship, and how it can influence things such as anger management. For all the topics we cover in our program, head here: https://www.topblokes.org.au/for-boys-aged-14-17

16.01.2022 Restrictions have not stopped the need to support our boys to grow into mentally and physically healthy and safe men. We’re so proud to have worked with the boys in our programs this year, helping them define for themselves what being a man means, build health-seeking habits, express themselves honestly and break the stereotypes that prevent them from reaching their potentials. Happy holidays everyone! #HappyHolidays #MerryChristmas #menshealth #boyshealth Music credit:... Hip Hop Christmas by Twin Musicom Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/VnzJ96YTqrA See more

16.01.2022 This is incredible. Help us cheer on Gordon and Fiona’s journey over the next 2 days as they walk 103km to raise money for our programs $10,000 already raised Every step is one step closer to helping young men’s mental health

15.01.2022 This year, we’ve seen more and more cases of poor mental health amongst boys. As we’re inundated with requests for help, we’re recognising that many boys don’t know how to start the conversations that can help them through these tough times. When suicide is the leading cause of death in males aged 15-44, this is a real concern. Talking, like anything, is a skill that’s nurtured. With a mentor there to teach them how to start these conversations, they can develop the help-seeking behaviours that reduce the impact of poor mental health on our boys. This Christmas, please give more boys mentors to start life-changing and life-saving conversations: www.topblokes.org.au/donate

15.01.2022 Alcohol, drug use, pornography, mental health, and masculinity are some of the topics that our mentors have been able to get boys to open up about in our programs. At the "Let's Talk Young Men's Health" virtual event on International Men's Day, they're going to share how they engage young men on these important, but oftentimes difficult and sometimes awkward topics, to help you do the same at home. There are only 48 hours left to secure your spots! Come along and ask your que...stions to our expert panel of speakers, including Maggie Dent, Dylan Roos, Cooper Chapman and our mentors. For those of you who can't make it, a recording will be made available after the event to ticketholders. Don't miss this opportunity to start having more of the important conversations with your son: https://events.humanitix.com/let-s-talk-young-men-s-health- We can't wait to see you there!

15.01.2022 Awesome feedback from our primary school program at Musgrave Hill State School If you'd like to know more about our www.topblokes.org.au/our-programs

14.01.2022 This isn’t the holiday season many of us were hoping for, and honestly - there's no other word for it - it sucks. But right now, we could definitely use a bit of a break from the negative headlines and news stories. We know it’s been a challenging 2020, but it’d also be nice to know what’s been gained from a year like this. We’d really like to hear what new things you’ve learned or picked up, whether it’s something you’d wanted to do but hadn’t found the time to or a new skil...l you needed to learn to adapt this year (there are probably a few of these!). What have we gained? We’ve: Read a lot more books a few of us got through that pile of I’ll get to it when I have the time books we’d left on the desk. Such a good feeling! Figured out how to make a 2-square metre area the ultimate workout zone being unable to go outside sometimes and with gyms shutting down, this was a big win. Learned new languages some of our team took the time to learn or brush up on their language skills to communicate and connect with family and friends overseas, many of whom also hadn’t been able to see or sometimes talk to their loved ones due to ongoing restrictions. Gotten a lot better on camera hundreds of Zoom sessions have helped us get a lot more comfortable talking and presenting in front of the camera, which was definitely new for a few of us. Gotten on top of the cleaning and management we weren’t exactly a messy bunch before, but the consistent video chats had quite a positive effect on our routine and maintenance. Improved our GIF game an important mention in our online communications. We’ve not so much gained this skill, but definitely refined it. Gotten better at calling people beforehand, texting seemed enough, but with the lack of face-to-face time, many of us switched to calling to have proper conversations with our friends and families; a habit which has continued. What about you?

14.01.2022 Almost 5 hours in and still smiling. @hg_watkins doing the #24hourchallenge for young #menshealth programs through @topblokesfoundation aiming to raise $5,000 - he’s almost there, Keep it up #legend

12.01.2022 We’ve mentioned before that we talk about mindfulness with the boys we mentor to help improve their mental health. But we haven’t really broken it down here. With every week this year bringing about its own challenges, it’s worth going into, especially when talking about building healthy habits for young men. Being mindful is about being fully engaged with whatever you’re doing in the moment. This could be as simple as focussing on the inhale (think of the lungs expanding) an...d exhale (think of the lungs pushing air out) of your breathing. It’s about keeping you present in the moment. And this is why While you try to focus, other thoughts might pop into your head. It might be things that happened in the past or things that are yet to happen. This is where the training starts. Instead of focussing on the negativity or stress associated with these thoughts, focus on bringing your concentration back to whatever you’re doing, e.g. your lungs breathing. Doing this regularly becomes habit and can bring many benefits, like increased focus, decreased stress and a stronger ability to disconnect with self-ruminating thoughts that are often associated with depression and anxiety. As you learn to control your thoughts, you can also gain control over your reactions to them, allowing you to make better decisions. Encouraging boys to develop this habit now can help them reap mental health benefits as they grow into men. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture either find something you enjoy doing or bring mindfulness practice into the everyday, for example: Eating a much-loved pastime. Most of us know that food tastes good, but we tend to scoff it down rather than pay attention to it. Try focussing here. Juggling a ball a great way to exercise and work on dexterity too. Try not to lose count! Colouring keep the hands busy, be creative and be mindful all at once. We have some options available for kids and young men to get started here: www.topblokes.org.au/store Lie down let’s face it; collapsing onto the couch is needed sometimes. As you relax, focus on relieving any tension throughout your body. Start with your toes, completely relax them and work your way up to your head. Got any other simple ideas for others to try?

10.01.2022 In the absence of education from a trusted adult, pornography becomes the teacher of sexual relationships. It’s important to understand why this is a really, really bad thing. The scary thing is that we’re hearing of boys under 12 regularly viewing graphic pornography online. They aren’t just being exposed to explicit sexual material they’re developing a frame of reference for how they believe they should act around others. A recent Government report showed that porn consum...ption increases the likelihood of sexual violence and violence against women in adulthood. This is why we keep seeing headline after headline, and it won’t stop until we change it. You can support the change by donating to help us run more of our mentoring programs for boys in schools that start and continue the conversations around pornography, consent and healthy relationships. Help us change this culture: www.topblokes.org.au/donate

09.01.2022 How’s this for a challenge? Henry Watkins, a supporter of Top Blokes, is undertaking a mammoth 24-hour NON-STOP fitness challenge this Saturday, 19th September. His goal is to raise $5,000 for Top Blokes’ mentoring programs that support young men’s mental health. Starting from 6am at Anytime Fitness, he’ll be doing 8 HOURS on the treadmill, immediately followed by 8 HOURS on the punchbag, and finishing with 8 HOURS on the step machine. Support Henry in this jaw-dropping fundr...aising challenge by donating to his fundraiser here: fundraise.topblokes.org.au/henry-watkins AND, if you’re feeling like Henry could use a break or two this weekend, you can donate this Saturday and Sunday to give him a breather: - Every $5 will give Henry a 1-minute break - Every $20 will give Henry a 5-minute break - Every $50 will give Henry a 15-minute break Help Henry reach his $5,000 goal in support of young men’s mental health! A big thanks to His Boy Elroy, The Barstool Brothers and Anytime Fitness for your massive support of Henry, Top Blokes and young men’s health. If you’d like to get in touch with Henry for sponsorship or comment, contact Sarah at [email protected]

09.01.2022 There's only 1 week to go before our Youth Workers take you through how they engage the young men they mentor in conversations around the tough topics like mental health, drugs, alcohol, pornography and more. Make sure to grab your ticket to our "Let's Talk Young Men's Health" Virtual Event: https://events.humanitix.com/let-s-talk-young-men-s-health- Check out the line-up of topics in the event programme below. Come along and ask your questions to our incredible panel of spe...akers, including Cooper Chapman, Dylan Roos, Maggie Dent and our Top Blokes mentors! A recording will be made accessible for ticket holders who cannot make it in-person. We're so keen for this event! See you there https://events.humanitix.com/let-s-talk-young-men-s-health-

09.01.2022 Some really interesting findings in recent research around the negative impacts of traditional masculine ‘man box’ attitudes and stereotypes. Our programs directly address and challenge rigid masculine stereotypes by encouraging boys and young men to be themselves, in whatever way they choose. We want boys and young men to express all of their human qualities in a positive way, free from social pressure, to live healthier and safer lives in their communities. For more info about the work we do, go to: https://www.topblokes.org.au/our-programs.

08.01.2022 Our Mustang raffle was featured in a number of papers this past weekend, telling the story of Sheona, her father and the loss of two close family friends that inspired this fundraising project. These stories are way too common amongst men, and that's why every ticket sold in this raffle will go to our programs that help young men improve their mental health and their relationships with those around them. Find the Mustang's story here: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au//7b1602b1b8d7adacbd07d5d Get your raffle tickets today to go into the draw to win the classic 1965 Mustang Fastback, the beautiful car at the centre of this project: www.raffletix.com.au/topblokesmustangraffle

07.01.2022 It's great to be back Kiama! Our mentors are stoked to see the boys again. Our mentor Will gave his reflection on this week's workshop: All the boys were so keen to get back to face-to-face Top Blokes workshops, despite the massive break. It was good to see they were still using the skills we'd worked with them on earlier in the year. This session was about sexual health. One of the big discussions happened during one of the activities, where the boys had to determine the or...der a scenario should be played out for a positive and safe sexual experience. The 2 cards that were being discussed were check the condom if it's expired" and "get consent". Although all agreed that both were important and should precede any sexual activity, some said that getting consent should always be the first thing done, while others said that checking a condom if it's expired could be done earlier so that at the time of getting consent, they could ensure a safe sexual experience. Great to see the guys showing critical thinking.

06.01.2022 Kids Are Watching Pornography. Here’s How to Talk About It. This is a fantastic The New York Times article by sex education teacher, Shafia Zaloom that breaks down (with actionable tips) how to talk about porn with your children. This follows on really well from the ways to engage young men that what we talked about in our Let’s Talk Young Men’s Health webinar on International Men’s Day. The benefits of building an honest and supportive relationship through having these c...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Thank you for helping us achieve all this for young male health, but we can't truly reflect on the year that it's been without throwing in a few Zoom stats. Surely we can't be alone in hitting triple digits for how many times we had to tell someone they were on mute... Reflecting on our figures, they don't tell the whole story about this year, but what they do tell us is that despite the various challenges we've faced - and some we continue to face - you've let our boys know ...that supporting them remains a priority. This year especially has shown us how important help-seeking attitudes and habits are to not only ensure that we can stay healthy in the face of challenges, but we can positively impact those around us, and that starts with how we engage with and teach our boys now. We want to say a big THANK YOU for helping us continue our work to improve young men's health. We'll see you in 2021! #HappyNewYear

05.01.2022 Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK Day. This is a reminder of how one conversation can change a life and how important it is to check in with your mates regularly. By genuinely asking Are you OK? and being ready to have a meaningful conversation you can help someone who might be struggling. The below chart has some great tips on how to keep the conversation going and what to do next. If you are in need of immediate support or are worried about someone else, yo...u can contact: - Lifeline on 13 11 14 or - Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. See more

05.01.2022 One of the great things about the work we do is the opportunity to really connect with boys and young men at their level. Our mentors meet the boys where they are at, by asking them about their lives outside of school, giving them the space to answer honestly in their own time and asking follow up questions on things that might be awkward or uncomfortable. This creates a safe environment to explore topics, such as alcohol, drugs and mental health that are rarely discussed in ...classrooms. The combination of ‘taboo’ topics and asking the boys and young men to express what they are really thinking and feeling leads to the good stuff. It’s in this good space that us and the guys do our best work. What topics do you talk about with the boys and young men in your life? To find out more about our programs, go to: https://www.topblokes.org.au/our-programs

04.01.2022 Do you know a school or organisation that could benefit from a male well-being program? We’re now taking bookings for 2021. Top Blokes Foundation works to improve the mental health and social well-being of young males aged 10 to 24 through preventative group mentoring programs. Delivered by qualified youth workers in schools and organisations, the programs foster a safe space to explore complex topics like masculinity, alcohol, drugs, sexual health, online behaviours and more.... Through weekly workshops over 3 to 6 months, Top Blokes works with boys and young men to enhance their critical thinking and decision-making skills, helping them build their own positive ideas of what it means to be a man and cultivating health-seeking behaviours, attitudes and habits. With regular and long-term interaction with positive mentors, young men are able to co-create a culture of openness, curiosity, accountability and respect, with the overall aim of reducing the rates of poor mental health and antisocial behaviours, as well as improving their relationships with the communities around them. To see our range of programs and book a free chat: www.topblokes.org.au/book-a-program-chat

04.01.2022 These are some good tips for communicating with different people. Reframing how you communicate can really make a difference in ensuring someone hears the right message. Small changes can have big effects. Who would you be more likely to reach out to when you need it most?

03.01.2022 HE'S DONE IT! After 24 hours of non-stop fitness, Henry Watkins has raised over his initial goal of $5,000 to finish with $7,130 for Top Blokes' mentoring programs that will help more than 20 young men improve their mental health. Brilliant effort, Henry. This has been a massive undertaking and you deserve to rest up well, with ice packs on-demand. A BIG thank you to Anytime Fitness for hosting, helping organise and donating to the event, His Boy Elroy and The Barstool Brothers for the generous donations, fundraising events and showing up in the early morning hours (literally, 1am-6am) to support Henry through this gruelling challenge, and to everyone in Australia and overseas who donated breaks (or minutes of intense exercise) - what a fantastic result for young male health!

02.01.2022 This is compared to only 18% of adult men who agree that traditional gender stereotypes for both boys and girls limit our children's potential. Right now, new generations of young people are growing up in a world where they don't feel confined to traditional gender stereotypes. This is music to our ears! In our conversations with boys and young men in workshops, we often get right into the nitty gritty of what it means to be a man today, which is an outdated way of saying wha...t it means to be a good human. Often, they express how society's expectations of what a man is can lead to some poor decisions which affect their physical, mental and social well-being. Stepping out of the "man box" and into this new space, means our sons, brothers, cousins and future fathers can be themselves and live happier and healthier lives. And that's something that 100% of us can agree with.

01.01.2022 WE'RE HIRING! We're building our Queensland team and have roles available for mentors to deliver our Top Blokes programs in the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Beaudesert, Logan and Ipswich areas. We're looking for Youth Workers who are exceptionally: Passionate about mentoring young men Strong facilitators and have the ability to mentor small groups... Professional, organised and attentive Apply now to join our team and support more boys and young men to live healthy and safe lives: https://www.seek.com.au/job/50608113 Applications close 5pm on Monday, 28th September. Alternatively, know anyone who would be fantastic for this role? Spread the word and tag them below.