MAN UP is a not-for-profit that runs peer-to-peer, small group, youth education sessions about positive masculinity and mental health with high school aged boys in years 6 to 12. Join us for a conversation about how your Centre can collaborate with MAN UP to host workshops in your community.

About The MAN UP Initiative

• As of 2022, MAN UP is the only provider in Australia that runs peer-to-peer based masculinity workshops, and the only provider in Western Australia to run in-person masculinity-based workshops for years 6 to 9.
• MAN UP is especially determined to deliver workshops in the rural communities of Western Australia. Financial accessibility is important to MAN UP, thus, the pricing is guided by an ICSEA-based subsidy framework.
• In 2023, MAN UP has conducted rural operations in the Peel and Geraldton regions, with plans to visit the Kalgoorlie, Katanning, Pilbara, and Great Southern regions before the end of the year.
• Collaborating with and supporting MAN UP can allow for greater volunteer engagement outcomes, research and development of policy, and healthier and safer communities.
• MAN UP focuses on early intervention of family and domestic violence, sexual violence, and of mental illnesses and suicidal ideation with the aim of developing confident, purpose-driven and emotionally capable men.
• MAN UP runs three sessions - Male Culture, Relationships, and Coping - with volunteers aged 18-25 years. These sessions have been reviewed by professionals and use relevant, up to date, and evidence based approaches.
• MAN UP runs sessions both in metropolitan and rural areas, and has run rural trips to Geraldton, Bunbury, Exmouth, the Great Southern region, and the Peel region.
• MAN UP subsidises sessions for schools with low Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) scores, and aims to eventually have all sessions subsidised.
• MAN UP was independently evaluated by the Department of Communities. The results of this evaluation indicate that MAN UP is achieving its intended aims, the workshops are effective, appropriate and provide value for money.

Points for Collaboration

• Rural Engagement and Funding
• Ahead of rural engagements, MAN UP contacts local schools and centres to offer workshop services to the young male-identifying members of their community.
• MAN UP would like to offer Linkwest partner centres the opportunity to host workshops on upcoming rural trips.
• Based on the ICSEA discount scheme, MAN UP runs the majority of rural workshops for free. To allow for continued access into remote communities, Linkwest partner centres may be able to provide MAN UP with assistance in securing additional funding to allow MAN UP to continue to subsidise rural workshops (i.e., grant opportunities, professional/corporate connections, government schemes, etc.).
• Creating opportunities for MAN UP to engage with rural communities will encourage meaningful, important, and lasting conversations within groups of male-identifying students in rural WA.