WHO ARE WE?
CHRISTINA DONOGHUE
My name is Chris. I’m a single mother of two crazy girls and am in the fourth year of a double degree in journalism and creative writing. I grew up in Western-Sydney, Outback NSW and the South-Coast of NSW. Having a good twenty-years on the rest of my team I have had my share of trauma and can relate to an adolescence filled with suicidal ideation.
I came to this project with a great deal of humility and reverence sure that we would be speaking to other people and asking them to bare the most wounded parts of their souls—I don’t believe that has been in vain.
This topic has been much like the topic of miscarriage, where no one talks about it, but when you do everybody has a story to tell—we are all connected to it in some way. For those who are intimately connected, their courage in sitting with us, a team of university students, and being so generous with their time and stories cannot be overstated.
My team has been tireless in their enthusiasm and commitment to this project. Late night conference calls and Facebook messages as ideas hit them or they just needed to touch base. What started out as a mandated projected has grown into something that people have expressed a need for. Silence has not been the despairing man’s friend—we will not be silent.
JEMIMA PASCOE
I’m Jemima, I grew up in Muswellbrook, a small mining town in the Hunter Valley. I started studying a double degree of Journalism and International Studies in 2015 after moving to Wollongong to start life as an “adult”. Since starting my degree I have worked on a lot of interesting stories and have loved so many classes, though this particular project has been especially meaningful and eye opening.
As someone with severe anxiety and depression, and as someone that has experienced suicidal thoughts, this project has always been close to home and is something that I am very passionate about. I am proud to have worked on a project that is aiming to make a change for our men and boys, to generate a conversation that fights traditional “masculinity” and encourages men to seek help when it’s needed. I am grateful for the freedom I have in expressing my emotions, and I am very grateful for my incredible support network of friends and family that I can talk to when I am struggling. I don’t know what I would do without them, it never ceases to amaze me how much of a role they play in my own strength. I don’t know what I would do if I felt as though I couldn’t reach out to them when I needed to. Please follow us and join the conversation about male suicide, so we can bring our boys home.
TIANA PAOLETTI
My name is Tiana, I am a third year student at the University of Wollongong, that's grown up in the Sutherland Shire. I am studying a double degree of Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Communication and Media, majoring in Digital Media. I am heavily involved in social media, both within uni and out, which has made me more aware of a range of issues that both, slip under the radar and go unnoticed, as well as those that are put forward in order to raise awareness.
I have had some experience of young men, which is mostly personal and due to my friendship group having a large male influence. There have been times where we have had to all come together to help someone out. It is easy to think someone is fine, because they look fine on the outside and act A-okay, but in reality they're not. I had a personal experience with a friend who confided in me alone, and I thought he was totally fine until he called me one day to open up to me about everything that was going on.
This project has taught me to be more aware of the people around me as they may be struggling with something that the everyday person is unable to recognise. If you can help someone in anyway, it's to tell them that it's okay to talk and put it out there. There is a world out there that we as a team have explored in depth, that needs to be brought to light among many other people so we can have a larger conversation.
ADITYA NAIR
I’m a third year student at The University of Wollongong studying a double-degree of Journalism and Environmental Engineering. A big passion of mine is music, which has inevitably opened me up to the world of mental health as the two are very much connected. As someone in this particular scene, I’ve been exposed to many different and amazing people – some affected by mental illness.
It is through these experiences that I have learned that the people affected by troubles such as this are far too common and that a bigger discussion needs to be happening as to how everyone can help.
Tackling this important topic has given myself, and the whole Bringing Home Our Boys team, a strong passion for our project. Focusing on the editing and statistics side of things has opened my eyes to some alarming facts. If anything, I am now only more eager to raise awareness for this issue. It is my sincere hope that what we are doing may help at least one person out in some way – and perhaps even more.
