Teenagers on the road to becoming young men have been invited to learn how they can develop a strong sense of identity and have respectful relationships while dealing with the pressures of the modern world.
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Hosted by Inverell Sunrise Country Women's Association in the wake of their wildly successful girls empowerment workshops last year, BOYS MATTER TOO will feature stand up comedian Ben Mackenzie and the Clontarf Foundation's NSW zone manager Brendan Maher.
"CWA is not just for women and girls. CWA has women as members but it's for women and families in rural areas," member Pam McLeay said.
Passionate about helping young men deal with their sense of identity, relationships and mental health, Mr Mackenzie and Mr Maher will speak to an audience of parents, relatives, siblings, service providers and interested community members at the RSM Club on Thursday night, May 30.
"Ben is a comedian, an educator; he is totally passionate about the issues that confront our young boys, and he's really keen to show them that you do not have to conform to what the male stereotype is," Ms McLeay said.
She said Mr Maher was a "brilliant speaker" who will outline the successes of the Clontarf program, and how it can cater to all young men.
The following day will include workshops for boys in years 7-10, focusing on gender stereotypes, respectful relationships, anxiety and stress. The boys will also face a range of physical and mental teamwork challenges as part of a challenge circuit.
Ms McLeay said that just like young women, young men face many unique problems. She said many struggle with risk taking behaviours, leading to substance abuse and a disrespect for both authority and women. She said boys were accessing pornography at younger ages.
"The accessibility is so easy, and it's very anonymous. So they get a very warped view of what a relationship with a woman should be," she said.
"They don't understand the importance of consent in a sexual relationship. They don't understand the damage they can do to a partner by having non consensual sex."
She said that Inverell, as a White Ribbon Community, has a lot of work to do to help direct young men onto the right path.
"We don't want domestic violence, and I believe disrespectful relationships lead into domestic violence and I believe that we need to tackle it with our young people right now," she said. She encouraged local men to stand up and become active role model for boys.
Tickets for the dinner are $25 each, and will be on sale from May 1 at Tourism Inverell and Freckles Cafe. Attendees are expected at 6pm for a 6.30pm start.