Positive Role models change lives
mentoring advocacy network
About MAN
Mentoring Advocacy Network (MAN) is a project to promote male role models while raising awareness of the negative effect a rigid view on masculinity has on men’s mental health.
Often, the term masculinity is associated with “toxicity” so we believe it needs a “detox” to break this fixed and rigid view of what a man is, should look like or behave like.
To break the cycle, we have created a campaign that inspires positive conversations around masculinity and its impact on mental health.
We believe masculinity is a spectrum, and mentoring and positive role models are powerful tools to point men towards various constructive and healthy ways to express masculinity.
There is no one size fits all solution in addressing this issue, but recognising differences in the lives of men and boys at different stages of life and from a range of communities is crucial.
Our world view
The way boys and men express their masculinity is important for their identity, mental health and their communities. A binary view of masculinity is “toxic” and often linked to poor mental health for men of all ages.
The norms around masculinity vary by race, social status and culture, and this impacts how one expresses their masculinity.
Mentoring and positive role models are powerful tools to point boys and men at multiple ways to express what it means to be a man, and in turn can reduce the risks of poor mental health, self-harm and isolation. They can in fact be empowered to live fuller, happier and healthier lives.
Mentoring led by positive role models reduces the risks of mental health, self-harm and isolation and empowers men to live fuller, happier and healthier lives.
#healthymasculinity
Campaign
We have created a campaign to raise awareness about the effects of toxic masculinity can have on men’s mental health. The campaign will culminate with an event on International Men’s Day, 19 November.
Join us for a thought-provoking event on 19 November 2020 where we’ll discuss different ways men can express masculinity. We’ll hear first from some great speakers and then have an open discussion with questions from the audience.
The event is free, online and open to all. Once you sign up you will receive an email with joining instructions closer to the date of the event.
Confirmed speakers:
– Dr Ethiraj Gabriel Dattatreyan, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths University of London.
– Sarah Bodenham, Fundraiser Officer at The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
– Claude Murray, Head of Mentoring at The eXceL Project (XLP)
Tickets are going fast so make sure you sign up here today or using the button below. We look forward to seeing you there!
#healthymasculinity
Resources we published ahead of the event to raise awareness:
The Spectrum of Masculinity – The Toxic End,
What’s healthy about masculinity? (This article is meat-free)
On masculinity
- An ideal standard of masculinity can propel men towards suicide as a way of regaining control in the face of depression or other mental health problems.
- Due to men's views on masculinity, they are less likely to disclose their mental health issues to family or friends and are more likely to use harmful coping strategies in response to distress, e.g. drugs or alcohol.
- In England, men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women. Only 36% of referrals to NHS psychological therapies are men.
Lack of male role models
- Around 2.7m children have no father figure at home, 21% of all children.
- 90% of the single parents are women, unchanged over a decade.
- 21% of single parents are from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background, compared to 16% nationally.
- 75% of teachers in England are women, and there are more female than male teachers in every ethnic group.
Check out ur infographic on toxic masculinity here
All the above data refers to the UK, except is says otherwise, referencing the most recent reports.
You can support us to promote #healthymasculinity and positive male role models by donating whatever amount you can give here or the link below.
Your support will play a crucial part in enabling us to have the necessary resources to build a solid social media campaign, secure speakers for the event in November and much more.
Get Involved
Get in touch to learn how you can get involved, what we do or just to say hello.
