Typically, the facilitator begins a theme or subject for discussion with his own story and asks the other men in the group to share their own experiences and ideas on the subject. This is a powerful time of sharing (either in English, traditional language or a combination of both) where Aboriginal men can share their individual journeys, relate to other men around similar experiences and feel safe and supported by the group

Why focus on Aboriginal male health?

StatisticallyLife expectancy for Aboriginal males in Australia is estimated at 18 years less than non-Aboriginal men on average (59 years for Aboriginal men versus 77 years for non-Aboriginal men). There is also a 6 year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal men and Aboriginal women (59 years and 65 years respectively)Emerging data confirms that Aboriginal men have the worst health outcomes of any subgroup in Australia. The data clearly indicates that Aboriginal men’s health and wellbeing is not going well at the moment. Aboriginal men die earlier from chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, injury, respiratory disease, cancer and endocrine disease. They have higher rates of suicide than non-Aboriginal men, and have similar death rates from assault to females.