Anthony Frosh speaks with Matt Tyler, Executive Director of The Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services, about a fascinating study called “The Man Box”. The term “The Man Box” refers to a set of rigid social norms that shape masculinity and impact men's well-being, relationships, and behaviours.

Some topics include:

· Understanding what the Man Box is and it relationship with toxic masculinity as well as positive expressions of masculinity.

· How the Man Box concept was developed

· Impact of the Man Box mentality on men’s mental health and relationships

· Scope of any possible cultural or socio-economic differences, and why these differences are not so apparent

· Some changes from 2018 to 2024 iterations.

o Differences in perceptions of societal norms vs differences in personal attitudes

· Challenging harmful stereotypes and promoting more positive expressions of masculinity (rather than erasing masculinity)

· What age to introduce education re expressions of masculinity

· The future for Man Box Research

To find out more about the Man Box 2024 research, a comprehensive study that focuses on the attitudes to manhood and the behaviours of Australian men aged 18 to 45, visit the website at: https://jss.org.au/programs/research/the-man-box/

To find out more about the Men’s Project, developing “Good men. Respectful relationships. Safe Communities”, visit the website at:

https://jss.org.au/programs/the-mens-project/

Matt Tyler is the Executive Director of The Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services where for the last six years he has led a team committed to reducing men’s violence and promoting flourishing amongst men and boys themselves. Prior to working at Jesuit Social Services, Matt has had several interesting roles with a focus on translating research into practice, including working as a Fellow for Harvard’s Government Performance Lab, with a focus on child protection.

This episode is edited by Shalini Sen. Marketing is the domain of Sarah Guy.

Anthony Frosh speaks with Jackie Coates, the CEO of the Telstra Foundation, about the Australian Youth Digital Index (2024)— which could be described as a comprehensive look at how young Australians engage with the digital world.

Topics include

• What the Telstra Foundation is and why they supported this research
• An understanding of what the Australian Youth Digital Index (AYDI) is
• How the digital landscape has evolved for young people
• Some interesting findings from the AYDI research
• Digital inclusion among young people in Australia
• Online safety and wellbeing
• Potential overuse of digital technology
• The recommendations of American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and whether there is a moral panic about
• AI and digital literacy, and the impact on preparedness for the workplace
• Current and future research being supported by the Telstra Foundation
• Some online mental health resources for young people
• Key takeaway message from Jackie

To find out more about the Australian Youth Digital Index, visit the website at: https://australianyouthdigitalindex.com/

Unwind your mind with Mello, the free mental health app designed by Orygen Digital to give you effective relief from stuck thinking - the root cause of anxiety and depression. More information about the Mello mental health app can be found at: https://www.mello.org.au/

PROJECT ROCKIT and Telstra Foundation are partnering to deliver youth-focused digital wellbeing programs to 30,000 young people across Australia over the next three years. Nominate your school: https://www.projectrockit.com.au/

Visit ReachOut: https://au.reachout.com/

Follow Telstra Foundation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/telstra-foundation/

See what Telstra Foundatin is up to online: https://telstrafoundation.com/

This episode is edited by Shalini Sen. Marketing is the domain of Sarah Guy.

Anthony Frosh speaks with Marshida Kolthoff, from the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria, about the experiences of the energy transition for those in an older age bracket. Some of the main topics discussed include:

• Understanding what the energy transition is
• The cost-of-living challenges many older people face, especially around energy use
• The conduct of the research, and the most interesting and/or surprising findings from the research
• Challenges and opportunities of the energy transition for older people
• Types of support needed and available to older people to help navigate the energy transition
• Broader implications of the research
• What action can be taken by various stakeholders to facilitate positive outcomes

The full published report can be found at: https://cotavic.org.au/policy/publication/our-energy-futures/

Marshida Kolthoff is the Policy & Advocacy Manager at COTA Victoria. In this role, Marshida leads policy initiatives and advocacy efforts to drive meaningful outcomes for older members of the community.

This episode is edited by Shalini Sen. Marketing is the domain of Sarah Guy.

Anthony Frosh speaks with Marianne Campbell, who heads up research at the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC), about consumer confusion regarding environmental product claims, such those often seen in the media, advertising, and on product packaging or labels, especially on large appliances.

Some of the main topics discussed include

· Emergence of green marketing / green claims on consumer products

· Defining ‘greenwashing’ and gauging how widespread it is

· What consumers want from environmental information/labels

· Some examples of misleading information that the CPRC has found

· The impact of greenwashing on consumer trust

· Systems of regulation in Australia and Europe

· The challenges of repairing products

· Repairability and durability ratings

· What consumers can do to protect themselves

Marianne Campbell is the Senior Research and Engagement Advisor at the CPRC.

In this role, Marianne designs and undertakes comprehensive consumer research to inform and underpin policy recommendations that will protect and advocate for consumers.

Marianne has worked in consumer and social sciences for close to two decades, having worked for the Cancer Council South Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and a leading national market research agency.