A Chance For Change charity holds boys day out at Hills Golf Course

The 18 holes of golf on June 2 is the brainchild of charity A Chance for Change (ACFC) founder Ivan Mardones and local ambassador Nathan St Ledger, and is part of the grassroots approach the charity prides itself on according to its founder.

“It’s a non profit charity for men’s depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention; at the moment we have 23 team members on board right across the country and we advocate for change in the way men are perceived to have to be here in Australia,” he said.

“The connotations are a bit twisted and what we want to do is, we want to get men speaking up, we want men to reach out for help and to feel that they are doing the manly thing which is speaking up.”

Local ambassador Mr St Ledger said the charity is already making a difference in the community.

“I live local, and within the community since we have really pushed it out here I have guys from all ages from young fellas of 18 to guys in their mid 40s coming up knowing that I’m an ambassador with ACFC, wanting to talk, wanting to share their experience, wanting to have effectively an ear to bash for a bit and to have chat,” he said.

“It’s made a massive difference, and these are guys, some I don’t know from a bar of soap and other guys I’ve known for over ten years.

“The community out here has been fantastic, the local footy club are right on board, we’ve got some good support from them.”

Mr Mardones said the ‘boys day out’ concept aims to build a support network around mental health sufferers.

“We have 72 people coming to this day and a few of them are going through a really rough time at the moment, and each one of them that comes here they don’t even need to talk about there problem; but just turning around and seeing 72 blokes backing them, 72 blokes here to support the same thing that they are going through, is enough for them to kick on to fight another week, live another day and not to take that alternative which is suicide; which is seriously becoming the next thing, they feel down and suicide becomes an option and it is not, and we’re changing that,” he said.

“Our first initiative that we want to launch is called the ‘boys day out’, so it’s a non-conventional social support group for men to get together, break away from the daily grind, do a fun, healthy activity and know that they have support in numbers.”

Mr Mardones said the charity’s focus centers around prevention and a solutions based approach.

“ACFC we are all about prevention, we spend too much time concentrating on cures but by then it is too late; so we’re here to intervene before suicide becomes an option, we want to make that difference to the men now,” he said.

“We spent too many years wasted on advocacy of awareness where solutions needed to be put in place to make that difference that we require.

“I’ve got programs in the works now for the construction industry for youth development, community development as well as the boys day out, we believe in awareness, solutions and action.

“Raising awareness is a fantastic thing but without solutions in place you’re just raising awareness to a problem and that needs to change as well.”

“We’re hitting them from a grassroots stage when they are really young up until they are our age and older, so it’s for men of all ages and we’re really making a actual difference which is the best thing.

“Because we hit it from a blue collar perspective, we’re all lived experience, we’ve all been there done that and that’s where we are making a change.”

Mr Mardones said his inspiration to start the charity in 2015 was from his own experiences with mental health and a strong desire to act.

“From a very young age I learnt what mental health can do to a family, my father suffered from mental illness when I was 13; we lost our home, we lost all our money and in turn we had to move interstate which is why I’m in sunny Queensland now; I was born and bred in Melbourne,” he said.

“They never recovered financially, seeing what it did to your parents and to a household in total; I always thought to myself, I don’t want to go through this then unfortunately at 16 years old I fell victim to depression myself.

“Seven years I suffered, five of those I was on anti-depressants and at my deepest and darkest point I tried to take my own life. 

“As it progressed throughout my life since I 16-years-old until now I’ve lost half a dozen friends to suicide, and it’s become really imperative to me that I was sitting here waiting for someone to make a change when I had all the ability to do it myself.

“I got impatient with the current processes and things that are out here in Australia, all you have to do is look at the statistics we are at a ten year high in suicide rates, so obviously the current methods in combating the problem that we face as a society just aren’t working.

“So we are here to change it, to give it a different spin and an unconventional approach that men can relate to, that men can understand, and that men want to adhere to.”

Mr Mardones said all funds raised from the day, which has attracted seven hole sponsors and a major sponsor will go back into the charity, which he has self funded since its inception, to help them continue to save lives.

“(it will go towards) More boys day outs and to get us all trained up as well, so we can have some actual training behind the things we do,” he said.

“Lived experience in my personal opinion trumps any degree but its also good to have something recognised by other people, and in terms of first response and things like that so I want each and every team member to be trained up in first response; and to be there to be a support network for anyone that wants to speak up.

Mr St Ledger said Hills International golf Course had been a amazing in their support of the ‘boys days out’ concept and charity golf day.

You can find out more about the charity on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/acfcofficial2015/ their website http://achanceforchange.org.au/