{jcomments off}'A Call to Action - Educational Disadvantage and the Protestant Working Class' arose out of the findings from a small working group of teachers, educational administrators, academics, community activists and interested others who focused on the increasing educational under-performance of Protestant working class young people and, in particular, Protestant working class males.  A copy of the full report, summary report, and consultation responses are available at: www.dawnpurvis.com/?page_id=188

{jcomments off}Lesbian Line, Cara-Friend and The Rainbow Project are launching a range of resources to help professionals to understand and support the mental health needs of their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and/or Transgender clients.  The launch will take place on Thursday 21st April 2011, in Clifton House, North Queen Street, Belfast, from 9.45am - 1.00pm.  To book a place, Tel: 02890 319030 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

{jcomments off}The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) is inviting tenders for a research project to underpin an initiative titled: “Promoting Positive Mental Health and Preventing Suicide among Boys and Young Men on the Island of Ireland”.  The tender is for two specific aspects of the first phase of this programme of work.  Specifically, it will involve: (1) Reviewing national and international literature on men’s mental health and suicide, in order to establish evidence-based, best practice guidelines.  (2) Conducting an audit of existing practice and “what works” (by online questionnaire) among service providers.  The timeframe for this work is four months, commencing on the 21st of March 2011, and the maximum budget is €17,000 (including VAT).  Click here for a Portable Document Format (PDF) file giving more details on this tender.  Submissions must be received by 5.00pm on Tuesday 15th March 2011.  Please send tenders by email, along with a CV, to Dr Paula Carroll, at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

{jcomments off}This campaign, which runs throughout March, aims to tackle the stigma that is still associated with talking about conditions such as testicular and prostate cancer, and to give men a voice when it comes to their experience of male cancers.  Throughout March, the Marie Keating Foundation will focus on the importance of being vigilant about men’s health issues and reducing the risk of developing cancer through positive lifestyle choices.  The Foundation launched www.getmentalking.ie last year which has proven to be hugely popular.  Throughout the month, Mobile Information Units will be focusing on men’s health issues.  The Units will be visiting men’s groups and workplaces - bringing with them the message of early detection and the benefits of talking more openly about your health.  The service is provided in an informal way and is completely free of charge.  Log on to www.mariekeating.ie to arrange for a Mobile Unit to visit your organisation or to see if there will be a Mobile Information Unit visiting a community near you.

{jcomments off}The Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) has launched a new ManAlive project to bring life saving messages and health checks to men in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area.  Men will now be able to locally access information and advice on weight management, stopping smoking, care in the sun and early detection, in addition to free health checks on their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose.  There will also be interactive health promotion sessions and self-development programmes to help improve men’s health.  At the launch, UCF unveiled their new ‘Man Van’ - a mobile unit which will bring one-to-one health awareness sessions and checks for men to their doorstep.  This will be staffed by a UCF Health Promotion Nurse and Senior Cancer Prevention Staff, and will aid early detection of cancers, offer cancer prevention information, and provide signposting to reduce men’s risk of cancer and improve their overall health.  Contact Sandra Gordon at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

{jcomments off}The Erris Community Health Forum, in association with the Erris Primary Care Team and Health Promotion HSE, have prioritised the area of men’s health for the coming year.  While men will look after their cars and put them through the NCT, they are less likely to look after themselves.  Men are reluctant to visit their GPs and, as a result, a number of diseases go undetected.  The sad fact is that an earlier diagnosis would increase the survival rates in a huge number of cases.  With this in mind, a Men’s Health Information Evening will take place in the Broadhaven Bay Hotel, Belmullet, Co. Mayo, on Monday 28th March 2011 at 8.00pm.  The night will involve brief presentations by Paul Gillen (Health Service Executive West), Dr Durkan (Urologist), and a survivor of Prostate Cancer.  This is an opportunity to pick-up pointers in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.  There will be information from the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Marie Keating Foundation - as well as other stands of interest to men.  All are welcome, the event is free and no booking is required.  For further information, contact Teach Ciaran Health Centre, Bangor Erris, at Tel: 097 83146.

{jcomments off}Mental health problems can cause severe debt, and severe debt can cause mental health problems.  Debt isn’t just a financial problem, it causes relationships to break up, people to lose their homes, and families to break down.  For many people living with mental health issues, debt is a common problem.  Martin Lewis (the Money Saving Expert) has compiled a new guide on this topic which is available free, online, in Portable Document Format (PDF) at:  http://images.moneysavingexpert.com/images/attachment/mentalhealthguide.pdf   Please note that this is a very large file (3.06MB) and will take a while to download.

{jcomments off}Sport Northern Ireland has produced a factsheet on the positive role of sport in reducing the risk of cancer.  By eating a healthy diet and being physically active, you have the power to reduce your risk of cancer by 33%.  To find out more, download a factsheet for hints on getting active at: www.sportni.net/participation/Community+Sport/Publications  For further information, contact Angharad Bunt, Development Officer Community Sport, at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.