OH! Magazine - Australian Version April 2015 | Page 5

( Advertorial )

THE BETTERMAN
FOUNDATION

he BETTERMAN Foundation is a national charity which
aims to empower and support young men to make
positive life choices, to build respectful, resilient and happy
futures. With a focus on violence and suicide prevention,
BETTERMAN works directly with young men aged 12 to 25
years in schools, sports clubs and other community organisations,
right across Australia.

We sat down with
BETTERMAN Founder and
CEO for a one-one-one
chat about The Foundation
and this year’s official
charity launch, the first
annual BETTERMAN
Awards.

What are the BETTERMAN Awards all about?

What, exactly, does The BETTERMAN Foundation do?

Tell us about the BETTERMAN Foundation Charity Launch

The BETTERMAN Foundation works with young men across
Australia in schools, sports clubs and other community
organisations. We work with local communities to deliver
programs and other services that aim to empower young
men to make positive choices and reach out for support
when they need it.

The first annual BETTERMAN Awards will be hosted by comedian
Tom Ballard and along with special guests, it will also include a live
charity auction with donations up for grabs from OH! Magazine,
Australian Fitness Network, and heaps more! The event will be
held at The Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday 23 May 2015 from
2pm to 5pm.

You’re the Founder of BETTERMAN, what was the
motivation in setting it up?

Tickets are $39 and can be purchased online at www.betterman.
org.au. This is also the wesite where you can start bidding on the
charity auction items.

T

I think on some level, I had always been working towards doing
something like this. I started a teaching degree almost two
decades ago but dropped out to pursue youth work instead after
I saw a dire need to provide support to young people beyond the
classroom. It was clear back then that there was a huge gap in
the provision of mental health support specifically for young
men, with statistics painting a bleak picture for young men in
Australia when it came to things like violence and suicide.
Sadly, all these years later, the statistics haven’t changed much,
so I wanted to create an opportunity to tackle these issues head
on and thanks to the support of many terrific educators and
mental health professionals, we officially launch The
BETTERMAN Foundation this year.

The annual BETTERMAN Awards seek to recognise and
celebrate those individuals and organisations who have
demonstrated excellence in their own work with young men
around the country. There are three Awards, being:
1. Young Man of the Year Award;
2. Mentor of the Year Award; and
3. The Daniel Christie Memorial Award.
The Daniel Christie Memorial Award pays tribute to Daniel
Christie, a much loved young man and community member, who
was killed after a random “coward punch” attach in Sydney on
New Year’s Eve in 2013. The Award recognises an individual
who has worked to raise awareness of and prevent violence
amongst young men.