Tomorrow Architects Workshop

Whilst watching the ABC series, 'Man-Up' on male suicide we came across a session called the 'Tomorrow Man Workshop' run by Tom Harkin. It challenged boys' conception of what it means to be a man, and was designed to make boys realise it's ok to be vulnerable and open up about their problems.

I made contact with their company to see if they would be willing to run a session, similar to what we had seen on Man-Up, with our year 10 boys. After speaking to Tom Bell, one of the facilitators who ran the workshops, we were able to organise a time for them to come in (straight after the year 10s exam week).

I think this had a profound impact on the boys and I think can be best summed up by comments received from Heads of Houses and Mentors, and the boys themselves. This is what some of them had to say:

Heads of Houses/Mentors:

“My boys loved it. They said it should 100% be there for every year 10 student, and they actually said they would like to do something like that every year."

"Their favourite thing was learning more about what the other boys were going through and having opportunities to share and listen without time limits, or distraction. They said even longer sessions would be great because they could feel that they were only just starting to scratch the surface.”

“My boys raved about it and thought it was brilliant, especially the ‘step over the line exercise’. They said it was so valuable in understanding they were not alone in their issues.”

“I spoke to my boys today who said it was fantastic. Some responses they wrote down included:

‘Eye opening’

‘Really inspiring’

‘Confronting’

Another Mentor wrote on behalf of their group:

• Should be done 100% again next year, would be disappointed if it didn’t happen next year

• Everyone took it absolutely seriously

• No teachers were there, so you could be honest

• They feel it brought them closer to their Mentor peers - it was perfect having both mentor groups together — having only one would make it harder because of fewer people to answer

• Boys feel like it completely changed the dynamics of our whole year group — they noticed how silent and serious the boys were when they left their sessions

Some quotes from boys:

"Great and allowed us to further connect with those in our House group. It was a worthwhile experience as it helped us bond with our peers. Challenging, inspiring and courageous.”

“The workshop was definitely worth it. It was a comfortable environment where people could talk. This meant that sides of people were shown that were never seen before. It really showed me that you always have to be careful as people may be hurting but not showing it. This also means that you have to double check if someone is alright.”

“It challenged me to confront and accept issues that are occurring. It helps in building relationships with the boys in your House. Builds a brotherhood between the boys. The talker was really chill and relatable and made it easy to be honest. Was really good that there were no teachers there.”

“It was definitely worthwhile, it allowed us to see that no one is on their own, and that we all go through bad times. Being honest about certain aspects of my life allowed me to feel free and I’m sure that others felt this way as well.”

“It changed my opinions on what a man should be like.”

“I felt that the “Tomorrow Man” workshop was one of the best workshops I have ever attended. The honesty put forward by the boys was unparalleled. Some of the activities supplied were challenging and required a major amount of honesty from us, but we left learning so much about our peers. Just knowing the monumental problems some people have to go through was an eye opener.”

“It’s ok to be not ok.”

“It was rather emotional and a little uncomfortable.”

“I was shocked at some of the boys’ stories and how they hid it behind their smile.”