WA’s Young Aussies of Year helping boys open up about emotions and modern masculinity

Growing up in all-boys schools where silence and “toughness” ruled, two young West Australians are now leading a statewide push to give boys healthier ways to talk about emotions, relationships and what it means to be a man.

On Thursday night, Dr Haseeb Riaz and Gareth Shanthikumar took home the 2026 Young Australians of the Year for WA.

The pair co-founded ManUp in 2020, a not-for-profit education service designed to empower young men and challenge traditional ideas of “what it means to be a man”.

Since then, the organisation has expanded, with a team of dedicated volunteers helping facilitate 45,000 sessions and reaching 22,000 boys in schools and communities across WA.

But despite Thursday’s award recognising their work, the pair say ManUp is only just beginning — and needed more th