Young Men Invited to Watch ‘6’ in the City of Melville

Funded by the City of Melville, Lotterywest, the Department of Health, Roadwise and the Men’s Advisory Network, the DVD is made up of six short films, each featuring a group of 17-year-old boys who are dealing with very contemporary issues such as self-esteem, relationships, sexuality, crime and drink driving.

The launch of ‘6’, hosted by Nova 9's Desiree Savage, will take place at Hoyts Garden City on the big screen on Wednesday, 5 September 2007, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. 

Mayor Katherine Jackson said the DVD aimed to assist young men in coping with many of the emotional health issues they face during adolescence. “This is a particularly challenging time for young men,” she said. “If we can inform them of some of the difficulties they may confront, it will help them develop coping strategies and encourage them to talk about problems with people that can help,” she said.

The DVD is designed for use in schools and youth focused organisations as a catalyst to encourage discussion among young men about some of the challenges raised in the films. Each film runs for seven-to-nine minutes.

Boys from local high schools participated in the development of the scripts for the production to guarantee the scenarios, characters and language were as realistic as possible.

Health Promotions Officer Janet Armarego said the discussion process helped the boys to relax and reveal their real perspectives on the issues raised in the films. “It has been an incredibly rewarding process being able to discuss these sorts of personal issues with such a great bunch of young men,” she said. “We could not have achieved the final result without their input.”

Bookings to the launch of ‘6’ are essential. Tickets for the screening can be obtained from the City of Melville. Phone Janet on 9364 0280 or Maggie on 9364 0275 for more information.