Help change the hearts and minds of the next generation of Australian men, so that together, we can break the cycle of violence.

Did you know that more than half of young people across the country believe that most Australians expect teenage boys to be manly, confident, and strong at all times?^ 

It’s just one of the rigid, harmful views about masculinity that we call the “Man Box”.  And the more strongly adolescent boys adhere to these, the more likely they are to cause harm — to themselves and others.  

One in 10 boys who completed our recent Adolescent Man Box survey, believed that if a man is violent to his partner, it’s probably because his partner did something to provoke or deserve it. 

Clearly more needs to be done — and urgently — to counter these harmful views if we are ever going to break the cycle of violence against women that is so pervasive in Australia today. 

In our Change Makers program, we’re working with boys in schools and community settings to expand their beliefs around what it means to be a man. Each eight-week program begins with the same critical question: who do you really want to be?  

It was in one of these programs that Jay* confided in his School Wellbeing Officer. Seeking help for the first time, Jay told him that he was upset with his past behaviour, and the reputation it had given him. 

But Jay didn’t want to see his younger peers admire his track record of fighting and toughness anymore. It was at odds with the values he wanted to live by and the man he wanted to grow into.  

Most of all, he was disappointed in what he was role-modelling for his young brother in primary school. 

Jay left determined to improve his image and his life trajectory.  He now had ideas of how to reach this goal and knew he had the support of his Wellbeing Officer if he ever needed someone to talk to. 

Jay is not alone. 

More than 1 in 3 boys in our Adolescent Man Box survey said they had not sought help for a personal or emotional problem they experienced in the past 6 months.  

Confident with the problem-solving framework learned in the course, boys who take part in Change Makers are taking great strides to walk away from violence and towards their best selves. 

For some, this has meant seeking support, like Jay did. 

Change Makers is just one of many programs within The Men’s Project that is helping to redefine what it means to be a man.  

* Jay’s name has been changed and representative images used to protect his privacy.
^from Jesuit Social Services’ Adolescent Man Box Survey, 2025.