![]() ![]() “It was a bunch of men coming together to help each other, and that’s something I haven’t really been a part of often.”Īs for what the team hopes the song can achieve, Gus says it’s pretty simple. “There was something very special about that day,” he says. “As part of the project we also made a bit of a documentary around the making of the campaign song and the video, and that was just magic because in filming it, I could see these relationships building among men who didn’t know each other at the start of the day.” “We’re talking to everyday Australians, so the choir is made up of exactly that, from young men to big burly blokes in their 60s, 70s and 80s. “That was a conscious decision,” Gus says. The Boys Do Cry choir is made up of average blokes from all walks of life. Hug it out: Why mateship matters for men’s health.“Being able to take a song that’s so well known, that already had the message and that just by switching one word could turn into something that gets straight to the core, breaking down stigma and normalising men’s weaknesses and mental health issues is, like Gus says, really powerful.” “I lost someone very close to me when I was young and ever since then I’ve been trying to understand why that would happen, and to bridge the gap between Western knowledge and Indigenous knowledge. “Suicide rates amongst Indigenous people in the Kimberley region are among the worst in the world. “And talking about emotions is sort of taboo. “Where I’m from, men are raised as warriors and to be the man of the house,” he says. Recording artist and MC Dallas Woods is passionate about this cause, too.Ī Noongar man from the East Kimberley, he’s part of the 30-men choir who recorded the Boys Do Cry song for the campaign. Indigenous suicide rates among highest worldwide Will McMahon: New ‘check in’ app shines light on mental health.“But it does mean having someone in your life that you can talk to about the really important things.” “That doesn’t mean bursting into tears every five minutes or having a deep and meaningful conversation every time you talk. “The world has changed and we need a new way of doing things. “It’s up to us to draw a line in the sand and say we’re not living up to that set of rules anymore,” Gus says. While nearly one in five men will experience a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression in a given year, most find it hard to ask for help when they’re down. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15-49, while the number of men who take their own lives each year is nearly double the national road toll.ĭespite these numbers, even before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019 the Queensland Suicide Register found less than half of men (44.4 per cent) who die by suicide have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Reaching out: NRL star raising awareness for men’s mental health.“As men, we typically spend way too much time with this mask on, making out that everything is fantastic when it’s simply not. “Trying to live up to this blokey stereotype of she’ll be right, and man up and shut up has got us to where we are today,” Gus says. Having established Gotcha4Life in 2017, Gus is on a mission to change the stereotype that many Australian men feel obligated to live up to, and sees the Boys Do Cry campaign as another tool to help make that happen. Why we need change around men’s mental health Conversation starter: How Movember is helping men open up on mental health.“So turning such an iconic song into something for good, with such a simple yet significant change, is really powerful,” the host of ABC TV series Man Up says. Gotcha4Life mental fitness foundation founder and part of the team behind the Boys Do Cry campaign, Gus Worland says music can take you somewhere, give you hope and bring back memories. There has never been a better time to encourage men to open up.Ĭhanging Boys Don’t Cry to Boys Do Cry, the aim is to help create a significant shift in the narrative when it comes to societal views that men should always be stoic. Now – in what is anticipated to be one of the most significant men’s mental health campaigns in Australia – there are hopes a slightly tweaked version of the song will lead to not just new memories, but meaningful change.Īccording to Beyond Blue, every day nine Australians take their own lives and seven of those are men. If you grew up in the ’80s – or even if you didn’t – The Cure’s iconic Boys Don’t Cry song is probably linked to a few memories. Here’s how a new campaign will make a difference to men’s mental health and why its song sounds so familiar. It’s time to ditch the outdated idea that men must put on a brave front. ![]()
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