Hunter Johnson founded the Man Cave, a preventative mental health and emotional intelligence programme for boys and young men.
The journey of a Man Cave workshop is in three parts.
The first part is all around getting the young men to feel safe and to feel respected. Often that will begin with a few ice-breakers, a few high-energy games, let the boys kind of show that more boisterous side. And then we slow it down a little bit and just talk to them. We get their voice in the room as quickly as possible, ask them why would a programme like The Man Cave exists. What often comes out of it is that very few of them have had a safe space to talk about some of the challenges that they experience as young men.
From there we see a lot of boys start opening up, realising they’re not the only ones going through these challenges. That leads us into the second session which is all about exploring the masks that they wear each day – this is where the young men show real courage in sharing who they really are and deep empathy for others’ experiences.
The third and final session is all about creating a vision for the man they want to become. We also get them to acknowledge each of the other boys who’ve shown courage or bravery or some unique gift or talent that they’ve demonstrated. And then there’s a big conversation about the kind of culture they want to create.
From there it’s a conversation around support structures. Who’s in your network that you can continue this relationship with? Whether it’s the teachers, or the guys in the room, parents, or mental health resources.
The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives