Two weeks in the West: outstanding responses from students, teachers + parents!

Return visit planned for August

At last, re-building our work post the 2020 losses, Daniel and I landed in WA April 19 for two weeks of engagements in Perth and Albany involving seven private schools and an independent school counsellor’s seminar. Fortunately, the snap lock down occurred over the Anzac Day long weekend, and, while de-railing some of the larger parent events of the second week, student sessions went ahead (with masks!).

Daniel and I engaged with students of St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, students and parents of Mazenod College, the parents of St Mary’s, students, teachers, parents and community of Great Southern Grammar Albany, students and parents of Penrhos College, and the students of Sacred Heart College and Christ Church Grammar School. (The parent events planned for Sacred Heart and CCGS combined with St Hilda’s, will be re-scheduled).

The response to our message to boys on navigating a sexed-up world, and how they can choose not to be bystanders and take action personally and collectively, was outstanding. We were very moved by the number of good young men we met who genuinely desired to be men of integrity and part of the change we also so desperately want to see.

One of them was Year 12 CCGS student Jeff Shenton, 17, who we had a chat to following our presentation on ‘Respect and Responsibility’ to the Year 10-12 boys.

Girls also responded enthusiastically, recognising they could stand up for themselves, enforce personal boundaries, and work together for cultural change.

We were also very encouraged by this wonderful response from a parent:

…and this moving message from a teacher:

As many of you know, Daniel Principe, a health professional with a background in media, PR and marketing, has recently joined me more regularly in school’s work as a Collective Shout educator and youth advocate.  I thought you might like to read his reflections and highlights of our time in his home state:

We all benefit when schools and communities create a space for boys to reimagine masculinity by exploring what it means to be a man and having the difficult but important conversations about sex and forming healthy respectful relationships. So many encouraging moments from the last two weeks of working with schools and communities in WA, here are a few highlights:

• a 14-year-old boy said he realized the connection between pornography and human trafficking;

• several young boys of their own accord publicly acknowledged they needed to apologise to women including their sisters, for not speaking out;

• dozens of boys asked how they can quit pornography;

• hundreds of boys committed to using their manhood for good and being courageous enough to disrupt harassment and sexual assault;

• hundreds of young women were given an opportunity to speak up about their experiences and call out the sexist words and behaviours they had been subjected to;

• dozens of young people and parents asked why there were no protections to prevent children being exposed to violent pornography and what they could do to lobby for that change including to secure an age-verification system.

There was so much interest in the west it looks like we will be returning the week of August 9 and possibly August 2. You can make an inquiry here.