What happens when we give boys permission to feel?
Over the past decade, The Man Cave has worked with more than 100,000 teenage boys across Australia through school-based interventions that focus on broadening their understanding of masculinity and promoting emotional literacy. In that time, we have identified three key barriers that contribute to the emotional suppression of boys:
The Man Cave’s use of a glass jar metaphor has shown promising results through highlighting and universalising the unique pressures faced by teenage boys. Combining this approach with a simple check-in tool, this language provides an accessible way to talk about the emotional overload they are facing.
Drawing from baseline and 3-month follow-up data from the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), our findings show measurable improvements in boys’ wellbeing following the program. Complimenting this with qualitative data using the Most Significant Change evaluation approach, we will share powerful behavioural shifts in how boys ‘check in’ with themselves and others.
This presentation will explore the power of metaphor and storytelling as scaffolds for emotional literacy as an early intervention. It demonstrates how practising storytelling and reflective practice can benefit teenage boys when approached in a gender-responsive manner.. By embedding accessible tools into boys' everyday practices, we can reduce the stigma associated with vulnerability and help them develop sustainable wellbeing habits. As we strive to move men’s health forward, these accessible, evidence-informed practices are assisting teenage boys to build habits of emotional resilience from an early age in ways that benefit them, their families, and the communities in which they live.