Supporting men in social work

A West Auckland-based men’s working group, set up by two Bachelor of Social Practice students at Unitec, helps their fellow students talk not only about their studies – but also the rest of their lives.

The group, run by students Noa Pitovao and Haydn Smith, was set up to address the need for more male social workers within the Social Work and Community Development field.

“I don’t even know my own father,” says Haydn. “There are a lot of kids out there who don’t have a male role model in their life, so getting more men into social work has to be a positive thing.”

Noa agrees. “We definitely need more men because there’s a lot of males out there that need that connection, but who might not be able to express things in front of women.”

This is why they set up the men’s working group. Initially, the goal was to create a space where male students could talk about, and get support for, their studies. However it soon evolved into a group where students from all years of the programme were free to talk about extra-curricular pressures; juggling study with family obligations, financial responsibilities, being a dad, sometimes being a solo parent, with or without custody of their children.

Men might not be used to talking about their lives, says Haydn.

“We have this macho discourse in New Zealand, around beer, rugby, all that sort of stuff.” But giving male students a chance to talk with their male peers about what is impacting on their studies really does help.

“In the first month or so, people mainly talked about the assignments they were dealing with. We were pleasantly surprised at the way they started talking about their lives outside uni. I think that everyone who has come to the group regularly has grown a bit, just by being able to talk to other men about what is going on for them. There’s nothing quite like one student supporting another.”

Just knowing that you’re not alone can make a huge difference, Noa points out. “You might have an issue you’ve been carrying for a while, but by expressing those feelings with people who have similar experiences, you’re reassured to find out that you’re not the only one. We might be going through things at different times in different ways, but we’re all in the same boat.”

Read more inspirational stories at unitec.ac.nz/our-stories