Throughout the month of November, Together For You is running a campaign to encourage men to look after their mental health and wellbeing by seeking help early.  By asking the question 'are you trying to remain strong and silent?', Together For You is encouraging men to talk, to ask for help, or to simply say to a friend or loved one 'I’m not feeling myself'.  The stigma that surrounds mental health, in addition to the reluctance of some men to admit that there is something wrong, is quite literally killing men - who are three times more likely to die by suicide than women (77% of those who completed suicide in Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2011 were men).  This stereotypical view that men should remain strong and silent needs to change.  Asking for help isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength.  Speaking out and challenging the stigma of mental health is courageous.  Doing so may help to save not only your life, but the lives of other men who are suffering in agonising, lonely silence.  Help is available ...  Pick up the phone (028 9032 9150), drop a short email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or visit: www.togetherforyou.org.uk

Following the highly successful launch of 'The Dad Factor' briefing paper in September 2015, Parenting NI will be delivering a series of free workshops to practitioners who work with dads.  These workshops will take place throughout Northern Ireland during late November.  They will reflect on the key messages contained in the briefing paper, and will explore the role of fathers, the challenges fathers face, and how practitioners can influence policies and practice to ensure fathers are supported to be actively engaged in their child’s life.  For more information, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Tel: 02890 310891.

A group of young people taking part in the Northern Ireland Assembly ‘Connections’ Project are conducting a survey to find out what 11-25 year olds know about the mental health services available to them.  They are seeking to recruit respondents.  The survey is completely anonymous, and should take around 10 minutes to complete.  The survey closes on Friday 13th November 2015, and can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MentalHealthSurvey15

International Men's Day (Thursday 19th November) focuses on the health of men and boys, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models.  It is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions, while also highlighting the difficulties that they face.  The theme for 2015 is 'Make a Difference for Men and Boys'.  Belfast City Council is marking this day with a celebration in the City Hall from 9.30am - 12.30pm.  For more information, contact Una Lappin, Health Equity Project Officer, at Tel: 02890 320202 ext 3777 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by cancer - be it through a cancer diagnosis, a friend or family member being diagnosed with cancer, or looking after someone with cancer - Macmillan Cancer Support and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust want to hear from you.  They are hosting a series of events in local communities throughout Belfast in late November which will give people affected by cancer the chance to have their say on everything from improving services to providing better support.  For more information, contact Stephanie McCann at Tel: 02895 043890 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The 5th Annual Contact Suicide Prevention Conference is taking place on Wednesday 11th November 2015, from 10.00am - 4.30pm, in the Titanic Conference Centre Belfast.  Admission is free, and the day is open to anyone with an interest in suicide prevention.  The morning keynote session will be presented by Joe Rafferty, CEO Mersey Care NHS Trust, and will focus on their ‘NO MORE’ five year strategic policy initiative which seeks to envisage a zero suicide death rate for their region (see: www.no-more.co.uk).  Also presenting will be Dr Christabel Owens, Exeter Medical Centre, on her work on the systematic review of psychological autopsy studies following family experience of suicide bereavement.  Christabel will speak about the importance of following intuition when assessing suicide risk for a family member, and asking the difficult questions when suicidal ideation and suicide planning may converge.  The afternoon session will be devoted to a public debate on the future of the Regional Lifeline Service.  To register for a place, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

During the month of November each year, 'Movember' is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on men’s faces in Ireland and around the world.  The aim of this month is to raise funds for, and awareness of, men’s health.  Visit http://ie.movember.com or http://uk.movember.com to find out more about Movember on the island of Ireland.

This training course - organised by ACET - will be beneficial to anyone wishing to develop and extend their knowledge and skills in the area of parent-teen communication as part of their role in the wider community within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area.  The programme, which will begin in November 2015, has been accredited by the Open College Network with 6 Credits at Level 3, and is free of charge.  For full details see: www.mhfi.org/ACETtraining2015.pdf