Tough looking men (and women) on motorcycles are on a weeklong tour through Aotearoa promoting Healthy Masculinity as part of White Ribbon’s Flip the Script campaign.

South Island Ride leader Colin Agnew says adults need to encourage our boys to be respectful, to be supportive, ethical and friendly. We need our young men to know it’s ok to cry and show emotion, that it is awesome to show that you care.

“Too often we hear the phrase, ‘boys will be boys’ as an excuse for unhealthy masculinity. Whether that’s boys fighting to show how tough they are, excessive drinking because young men think that’s what being a bloke is about, or sexist or misogynistic behaviour because they believe men are supposed to be players.”

“We need to flip this phrase and change the meaning of ‘boys will be boys’. As adults we need to encourage young men to show their hearts, their kindness and caring nature, and be what they want to be, not conform to old, outdated stereotypes.”

“Believing in the rigid rules of masculinity is twenty times more likely to predict committing violence than any other demographic factors like ethnicity, age or income,” says White Ribbon Manager Rob McCann. “Those are astonishing, awful numbers, and it’s why we need to ensure the next generation are not indoctrinated into that unhealthy way of thinking, or what we often refer to as the ‘man box’. We need to replace the outmoded ideas of what a man is supposed to be, with concepts that encourage and support healthy masculinity, says Mr McCann.”

“That’s why our riders are focusing on empowering the adults in the room to talk to their sons,” says Mr Agnew. Whether it’s the boys in the team they coach or their own children, adults need to talk about what it means to be a good human being and what that looks like in daily life. To encourage young men to be allies and help them make good choices by role modeling healthy masculinity.”

“Ultimately, healthy masculinity is a protection against the attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence towards women. We teach our riders how to behave on the road so they don’t become a statistic. We need to do the same for our youth, to give them the skills to be well-rounded young men who understand what healthy, non-violent masculinity looks like.”

The riders attend a range of events each year from marches, community days, school visits, talks at Corrections, and connecting with supporters from all walks of life, even including King Charles in 2019.

The itinerary for the Sound Island Ride is here 
https://whiteribbon.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Final-Itinerary-South-Island-2022.pdf

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