The Men’s Bush Trips started Kalgoorlie in the WA in March 2021 as a way of connecting with men and yarning about issues that are important to blokes in a relaxed bush environment. Since then, the word has got out that it’s worth going along to Men’s Bush Trips - to light a fire, cook some food, go for a wander, have a laugh, learn helpful things for life and build support for each other.
The trips take men out bush, where they can connect with other men. This is a culturally-safe space where they can yarn about difficult issues – Suicide, mental health, Family and Domestic Violence, relationship breakdown, grief and loss, etc.. These Yarning sessions provide men with tools, strategies, and activities they can use to bring peace to troubled situations and help others who need supports.
Yarning is a valuable tool in supporting men to connect with each other, learn new information, understand different perspectives, share their experiences, develop empathy for others and support each other emotionally. It is also a valuable problem-solving tool. The Men’s Bush Trips help to create a safe place where men can talk openly about issues such as Suicide (prevention, intervention, and post-support) and where to find the relevant support.
This initiative is a community codesigned and driven strategy by Aboriginal Men in the Goldfields and aims to support individuals to seek help and the support of others in order to change the trajectory of men’s poor health, mental health and social outcomes.
This presentation will focus of the development of an evaluation framework and preliminary evaluation results of the bush trips. The framework was developed in consultation with men attending the bush trips and the teams running them.