31 JAN 2025

Year 11 Masculinity Talk

Students had an impactful personal development talk

Matt Pinkett delivered a talk to our Year 11 students, addressing the impact of toxic masculinity and misogyny on individuals and society.

Matt explained how societal pressures, such as the expectation to “man up” or suppress emotions, harm boys and men. This contributes to Men being 3x more likely to die by suicide and higher rates of street crime victimisation.

Matt said: “Misogyny isn’t always obvious; it can show up in subtle behaviours like ignoring female authority or making inappropriate comments.”

Matt introduced practical steps to tackle harassment with his 5D Model of Intervention: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Directly Intervene (if you’re an adult and it won’t put you and the victim at risk).

This session was a powerful reminder of the role we all play in fostering respect, equality, and healthier relationships.

Matt had fantastic feedback from students including:

“Matt talked to us with honesty”

“He was funny and made it relatable – not like he was just talking to us”

“Matt is genuine and real”

“The talk helped me to be a better listener and to recognise how people are treated unfairly.”

“I think it was a real eye-opener to some of the boys in the year as it showed them that it’s ok to be emotionally vulnerable.”

Thank you, Matt, for such an impactful discussion.