A BARBER and shaving saloon is once again aiming to get young men talking over free burritos and a shave or trim. Arms and Armour is firing up later this month, challenging long-held ideas about what it means to be a modern male.
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Program graduate and ambassador Jakson Smith appreciated the safe space the barbershop offered to talk about difficult issues.
“The program challenges the traditional stoic image of being a man. Men need to talk and voice their emotions, how they’re feeling,” Mr Smith said.
“Once you put it out there, you can gauge a bit better what’s normal.”
Mr Smith, who is studying teaching and on headspace Ballarat’s youth advisory board, hoped to find ways to share what he has learned but said any men who might be considering the program to just try it.
Arms and Armour coordinator Andy Penny, from headspace, said most men who completed the program last year say they finished with clearer hopes and ambitions and an improved sense of well-being.
Graduates have already taken up the mantle to be active ambassadors in schools and in the community.
In a move to foster extra chat, this year’s program will introduce a group dinner at Hop Temple.
Mr Smith and Mr Penny said the group wanted the chance to further connect amid their busy schedules.
Group sessions are structured with a guest speaker then chat over a shave at Musket and Bayonet and with a Zambrero burrito.
Arms and Armour, for men aged 18 to 25 years, will also host discussions like masculine and sexuality stereotypes, gender equality, harm minimisation and resilience, self-care, and staying engaged in the community.
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The program offers support for young dads, or new guys in town, or just guys feeling a bit lost.
Mr Smith kept in touch with a few men from the program but even just getting to know the staff well at Musket and Bayonet and feeling comfortable to chat in the chair was important.
Weekly sessions for the returned program start on June 20.
Limited spaces are available. To register, phone headspace Ballarat on 5304 4777 or search Arms and Armour on Facebook.