Boys to the Bush took eight young local boys from The Bidgee School to tour the Livestock Marketing Centre (LMC) earlier this month. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
Boys and young men across the Riverina are set to receive additional mentoring and support as the NSW Government puts $700,000 into programs aimed at building healthier relationships and attitudes towards masculinity.
A share of the funding will go to Boys to the Bush, which will deliver programs across Wagga Wagga, Leeton, Albury and four other regional NSW local government areas.
The organisation was founded in Albury in 2017 by three schoolteachers who noticed a common problem among some of their students – boys who were disconnected, vulnerable and lacked positive male role models.
What began with bush camps has grown into a broader early-intervention program involving one-on-one mentoring, school programs, community activities and practical experiences.
The idea is relatively simple: give boys positive adult influences, opportunities to develop confidence and resilience, and stronger connections with their communities.
Boys to the Bush now has branches in Wagga and Leeton, with its Riverina footprint extending across the two communities.
A Boys to the Bush learning trip to LDC Grain. Photo: Boys to the Bush.
In Wagga, boys recently visited the Livestock Marketing Centre at Bomen to learn how the livestock industry operates and about career opportunities in the region.
The government says the focus of funding will be on helping young men build resilience, respectful relationships, healthy boundaries and an understanding of positive masculinity.
“Changing the behaviour of men and boys and empowering them as allies against domestic violence is essential,” Wagga Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr said.
“By taking the right steps early, we can help to prevent violence in the home before it happens.”
Boys to the Bush co-founder and chief executive Adam DeMamiel said the investment recognised approaches that had long been used in regional communities.
“When young people have trusted adults in their corner, a strong sense of belonging, and access to early intervention and community-based support, outcomes improve not only for them, but also for their families and communities,” Mr DeMamiel said.
He said there was no single approach that worked for every boy.
“This project will allow us to build on what we know works: trusted relationships, respect, resilience, and positive pathways for the future,” he said.
The $700,000 package is being split between Boys to the Bush and Armidale-based BackTrack Youth Works.
