Did you know that it's Northern Ireland Alcohol Awareness Week from 17th - 23rd June 2019?  Find out more at: https://drugsandalcoholni.info/alcohol and download the 'Know Your Units' App at: www.alcoholandyouni.com/know-units-app

‘Promoting the Wellbeing of Men and Boys’ is the overarching theme of this year's Male Psychology Conference which will be held in University College London from 21st - 22nd June 2019.  This event promises two days of cutting edge theory and practical strategies, as well as opportunities to meet the key players in this field.  Find out more at: https://malepsychology.org.uk/male-psychology-conference-2019

Queen's University Belfast School of Nursing and Midwifery Athena Swan Committee is hosting a free event to celebrate Men’s Health Week 2019.  This will take place on Friday 7th June, from 12.30pm - 2.00pm, and aims to discuss and celebrate both past and ongoing men’s health work / research being conducted in Northern Ireland.  The keynote speaker is Dr Ian Banks - President of the European Men’s Health Forum, BMA Spokesperson on Men's Health, and internationally known author in this field.  A panel discussion will follow which will explore the exciting work being conducted by a number of academic, community and healthcare workers in the area of men’s health.  To book one of the limited places, visit: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mens-health-in-northern-ireland-past-present-and-future-tickets-62139505935

HSE Health Promotion and Improvement CHE is pleased to offer training in men’s health.  This programme, titled ‘Engage’, seeks to address the current deficiencies in gender sensitive service provision for men.  The workshop will be of interest to a broad range of service providers and practitioners who wish to connect in more meaningful ways with men and boys.  The topics covered will include: the determinants of men’s health and how gender influences men’s approach to their healthcare; guiding health consultations with men using brief intervention and motivational interviewing techniques; using best practice guidelines to engage men more effectively with health and social services; setting-up and supporting effective group work with men; the barriers and the enabling factors experienced by men when accessing health and social services.  The workshop will take place on Tuesday 14th May 2019, from 9.30am - 4.30pm, in the Blackrock Education Centre, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.  Applications are welcomed from both men and women, and from people working in all sectors.  To book a place, email Helen McCormack at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MaleMenu is a Northern Ireland based website that was launched in November 2018.  It is a place to search for information and join the conversation about topics directly affecting men.  The website offers informative articles under five different categories: health, parenting, appearance, local and general.  Currently, it has 68 different articles, with a further 22 scheduled for the next six months.   It also has a TALK section - designed to encourage conversations - in the hope that men will share their experiences and support others.  Whilst the site is focused on male specific topics, half the users are females browsing on behalf of the men in their lives - be it their son, husband, brother or father.  See it for yourself at: www.malemenu.co.uk  |  www.facebook.com/contactmalemenu

During May 2019, See Change will be coordinating its seventh annual month long ‘Green Ribbon Campaign’.  This aims to challenge the stigma associated with mental health difficulties and to create an environment where people feel they can be open about their own and others mental health difficulties.  Everyone is invited to wear a green ribbon as a visual symbol of their support for the campaign.  Find out more about how you can get involved at https://seechange.ie and access the supporters’ pack at https://seechange.ie/download-our-supporters-pack

There is a commonly-held idea that men are invariably self-destructive when it comes to their health.  But this is not true.  Globally, most men do enough physical activity to benefit their health and do not smoke or drink alcohol.  Yet men’s health is still unnecessarily poor.  ‘Who Self-Cares Wins’ shows that male gender norms are a key barrier to better self-care for men; with the men who most closely identify with traditional masculinity being most likely to exhibit damaging lifestyle behaviours.  However, at the same time, health policies and services have rarely addressed men’s health needs.  This report argues that while it is clearly the responsibility of individual men to take care of their own health, strategies to improve men’s health cannot simply be based on changing lifestyle practices that are rooted in gender norms and other social determinants of health.  Who Self-Cares Wins proposes that action on a multi-layered and systems-wide basis is needed to improve men’s self-care effectively.  Read the report at: http://gamh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Who-Self-Cares-Wins.GAMH_.April-2019.Final-report.pdf

Currently, the needs of young fathers tend to be largely forgotten about by family support services.  At the same time, research is telling us that being involved in the lives of their children brings enormous benefits to both the children and the fathers themselves.  Young fathers, in particular, face numerous obstacles to participating in the lives of their children.  The Teen Parents Support Programme (TPSP) is offering a free, one-day, workshop for professionals who have contact with young fathers.  This event will take place on Thursday 16th May 2019, from 9.30am to 4.30pm, in Dublin, and aims to: raise awareness of the value of fatherhood; explore the obstacles to becoming involved which some young fathers face; reflect on participants' own attitudes and values and how these may shape their approach to working with young fathers; introduce participants to the use of the 'Young Dads Resource Pack' and other relevant materials.  To find out more / book a place, see: https://www.activelink.ie/content/community-exchange/training/43074