Engaging Men and Boys for Better Outcomes
(Programs, Projects and Directions)

This Paper will share with the Conference Delegates a pathway to Understanding and Engaging Men and Boys within the community context.

There is ample evidence of the health status of men and boys through National and State Mortality and Morbidity Rates and latest Burden of Disease statistics, but very little of the real issues of men and boys.

Our program, the MAN Model, has encouraged men through our Men's Health Program to talk about their issues and to identify those health and wellbeing issues they wish to address through a process of engagement within their community.

The same process has been developed with boys through our Lifeskills Program for Adolescents that gives adolescents boys (and girls) the chance to openly express their issues, highlight their concerns and tackle the problems of "growing up".

The result from these activities is a very valuable insight into the male gender and what concerns and issues affect males on a day-to-day basis.

We hope to share this knowledge with General Practitioners, Health Workers, Teachers, Parents and Delegates at the Conference who will then be better able to understand and engage with men and boys in their community with new idea and a stronger commitment to a wider group of males.

We achieve this within communities by providing support, training and professional development programs through:

Ø Men's Health Programs (MAN Model)
Ø Lifeskills Program for Adolescents
Ø GP and Health Practitioner Professional Development Sessions
Ø The Value of Evaluation and Data Analysis
Ø Sharing the results with the whole community.

This Paper will provide evidence to other Communities that the male gender, contrary to the Aussie Myth of "It will be OK Mate," GIVEN the right opportunity in the right setting will accept and value the importance of their own Health and Wellbeing.

Our programs run across Australia and in May of this year the MAN Model of Health Promotion was adopted by the North Okanagan Health Region in British Columbia, Canada