In early August, Menslink was privileged to win the local ACTCOSS Strengths-Based Community Award and achieved National Finalist (Community Organisation) for Excellence in Suicide Prevention (awarded by Suicide Prevention Australia).
At the bi-annual ACTCOSS Awards Ceremony in early August, presenter Genevieve Jacobs from ABC 666 had this to say:
“This award recognises an organisation, team, individual, campaign or self-advocate that has taken a strengths-based approach in their practice. Strengths-based approaches recognise the innate skills and strengths that people possess, even in times of struggle or crisis, and draw on these strengths in their work to seek positive social change.
The recipient of the award is Menslink. Menslink has provided strengths-based role modelling and support to young men in Canberra for nearly fifteen years. Each year Menslink provide over a thousand free counselling sessions and nearly five thousand hours of volunteer mentoring to support young men. Menslink recognise the strength of all the young men that they work with regardless of circumstances or physical ability.
Menslink was chosen for this award because of their work in building partnerships with schools to deliver services and to support young men in a range of locations. Their collaborative model of service delivery, and active engagement of community leaders and business partners, supports young men to build resilience and fulfil their responsibilities to themselves their families and the community”.