THE BETTERMAN FOUNDATION OPENS NOMINATIONS FOR THE FIRST BETTERMAN AWARDS IN 2015 – AND PAYS TRIBUTE TO “COWARD PUNCH” VICTIM, DANIEL CHRISTIE.
The BETTERMAN Foundation is now calling on Australians to nominate individuals and organisations for the inaugural BETTERMAN Awards in 2015. The BETTERMAN Foundation is a national mental health promotion charity, which works directly with young men aged 12 – 25 years right across Australia with a focus on violence and suicide prevention.
The BETTERMAN Awards recognise those individuals and organisations that strive to make a positive difference amongst their peers and for young men in local communities. There are three (3) BETTERMAN Awards:
Young Man of the Year Award
Mentor of the Year Award
Daniel Christie Memorial Award*
*Daniel Christie was 18 years old, when he died in January 2014, as a result of his injuries from a random ‘Coward Punch’ attack in Kings Cross, Sydney. Daniel was an upstanding and much loved young man; please visit The BETTERMAN Foundation website (www.betterman.org.au) for further information about Daniel Christie.
Michael Colling, Founding CEO of The BETTERMAN Foundation hopes The BETTERMAN Awards will have some great outcomes beyond the Awards themselves: “The BETTERMAN Awards recognise and celebrate those young men who are making positive choices in their own lives and inspiring others to do the same. We hope that The BETTERMAN Awards also brings greater attention to some of the alarming statistics facing young men in Australia, particularly around violence and suicide and inspires us all to ‘reach out.’”
Some alarming statistics that Australian boys and men continue to face include:
· Over 90% of convicted acts of violence will be carried out by men, and 70% of the victims are men
· At least one woman is killed each week in Australia by a current or former partner
· One in six Aussie men will suffer from depression
· One in six Aussie boys will experience sexual assault
· The leading cause of death amongst young Aussie men is suicide.
Nominations can now be made online at www.betterman.org.au and follow the links to the Awards. The BETTERMAN Awards will be held on Saturday, 23 May in Melbourne and become an annual event.
