Mentoring Men helps adult men who are experiencing distress or a sense of helplessness by providing free one-to-one life mentoring with a professionally trained volunteer Mentor. Through non-judgmental support and encouragement, our program focuses on proactive prevention by engaging with men who need help before they spiral into crisis.

This project will bring two of our cultural groups together for an intercultural artwork workshop that brings socially isolated men together to form community connections.

Mentoring Men is currently working with the Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council, training Indigenous leaders as Mentors, empowering them to assist at-risk men from their community. Part of this training centres around the power of Indigenous art to tell stories, make connections and develop a deeper understanding of self. We would like to bring together men from the Gandangara with our walking group from Claymore.

Our men from Claymore are socially isolated with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities. Through Mentoring Men, they have formed a peer support group that comes together regularly for short walks around their neighbourhood and a coffee. They have expressed an interest in participating in other activities.

This funding will enable us to bring these two groups of men together
for an art workshop led by an Indigenous artist from Gandangara. Participants will work on an artwork individually and together, making connections with men.

Sydneysiders sometimes live in their little pocket of a suburb - this project will make intercultural connections across the suburbs thereby making Sydney more #awesome