Australia is rapidly approaching a critical inflection point in men’s mental health and wellbeing.
While awareness has grown and a surge of charities, organisations, and community groups now work tirelessly to better support men, the reality is alarming: suicide rates remain alarmingly high, and mental health outcomes are not improving at the pace we need. At the same time donations, grants and program funding opportunities have become increasingly competitive, often going to the largest charities and placing community-based organisations in silos rather than supporting them.
In response to this challenge, July last year marked a turning point for Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Over 30 organisations united to share insights, ideas, barriers and strengths - collectively forging a commitment to cooperate under a single banner: The Northern Beaches Men’s Wellbeing Collective.
Grounded in a shared purpose, our charter combines our collective focus:
“To foster a connected and resilient community of men by normalising help-seeking, increasing awareness of supports, and providing accessible pathways to mental, social, and emotional health resources. Our aim is to reduce mental health crises and suicide through education, early intervention, support and collaboration, creating a robust safety net for men and their support systems on the Northern Beaches.”
This interactive Q&A Panel session will cover:
• The origins and formation of the Northern Beaches Men’s Wellbeing Collective
• Our shared goals, evolving learnings, and practical outcomes
• Strategies for mobilising collaboration across diverse sectors
• Real-world examples of how cooperation (not competition) can amplify positive community impact.
To bring this to life, we propose 2 - 3 members of the Northern Beaches Men’s Wellbeing Collective who intend on attending the National Men’s Health Gathering 2025 participate in the Q&A Panel session to demonstrate how this alliance works in practice and showcase key people, organisations and the shared vision driving impact.
Known National Men’s Health Gathering 2025 attendees and possible participants:
• Tim Hewson: Northern Beaches Men’s Wellbeing Collective (Chair) and Founder of the award-winning Mongrels Men Health and Wellbeing charity
• John Milham: Northern Beaches Cares, Chairman
The availability of other members of the Northern Beaches Men’s Wellbeing Collective can also be assessed to help showcase further depth of the group if required.