Calling WA Boys’ Schools: Join a World-First Pilot in Philosophical Health
Teen boys are navigating complex terrain—yet they carry within them everything they need to thrive.
Adolescence today is shaped by a unique set of pressures: online echo chambers, shifting ideas of masculinity, and a fast-paced world that often values performance over presence.
Netflix’s hit drama Adolescence, watched by over 145 million viewers this year, has ignited important conversations about what young men are facing. While fictional, its themes of digital overwhelm, isolation, and confusion resonate with a wider truth: many boys are searching for a sense of purpose, identity, and belonging in a world that doesn’t always make space for them to explore those questions deeply.
But the solution isn’t to label boys as broken—it’s to create environments that nurture what is already within them: courage, care, curiosity, and the capacity to lead meaningful lives.
The Real Crisis: Meaning, Not Just Mental Health
Yes, boys are struggling with stress, anxiety, and disengagement—but the deeper issue is a vacuum of identity and meaning. Traditional mental health tools can support coping, but they often don’t answer the deeper questions every young person eventually asks:
Who am I? What do I stand for? What kind of life do I want to lead?
This is why we urgently need to expand the conversation from mental health to philosophical health.
Introducing Philosophical Health: A New Foundation for Flourishing
Philosophical health is a teachable, science-backed human skill that strengthens self-awareness, value-driven decision making, belonging, and meaning-making.
At its core, it helps young people develop a strong inner compass—to reflect, relate, and lead with integrity in a complex world.
And now, for the first time, we are bringing this to Australian schools through a groundbreaking pilot.
About the Pilot
We are inviting three boys’ schools in Western Australia to join a 6-week pilot program designed to equip adolescent boys with the reflective skills they need for life—before they are swept up by online chaos.
This is not abstract theory. It’s a practical, embodied learning experience drawn from the internationally recognised SMILE_PH method (Sense-Making Interviews Looking at Elements of Philosophical Health), developed by Dr. Luis de Miranda and now practiced worldwide.
In this pilot, students will:
Deepen their sense of self, purpose, belonging, and possibility
Learn to reflect critically and act in alignment with their values
Explore masculinity, identity, and meaning in a safe, strength-based way
Build emotional intelligence, empathy, and ethical imagination
Strengthen resilience to toxic narratives and digital overload
What’s Included
A 6-week, facilitator-led program with guided modules and reflective practices
Tailored to adolescents (ages 14–17), adaptable for alumni or upper years
Embedded evaluation framework to assess engagement, impact, and growth
Optional parent / teacher sessions
Designed in partnership with leading educators and grounded in research on identity, narrative, and purpose
Why Your School?
This pilot is for schools ready to lead the way in building future-ready young men—young men who can not only succeed academically, but flourish as thoughtful, grounded, values-driven humans.
We believe WA schools are uniquely placed to lead this global-first movement, bringing together tradition and innovation in a way the world needs right now.
Expression of Interest
We are seeking 3 forward-thinking boys’ schools in Western Australia to pilot this experience in Term 4, 2025.
Investment: $8,000 per school
6 x 45-min weekly sessions for participants
6 x 45 minute Group Conversations with participants
Includes up to 20 students + evaluation report + 3 x optional parent or teacher Group Sessions
Facilitated by Dr. Clare Sarah Goodridge with evaluation supported by the LifeBeat. team
Interested? Let’s start a conversation.
Email: clare@thefutureofflourishing.com
