{jcomments off}The ARK Ageing Programme invites you to a seminar titled: 'Is Northern Ireland a Good Place to be Old?'  This event (in Queen’s University Belfast, on Wednesday 17th June 2015, from 10.30am - Noon) marks the launch of the results of the 2014 Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey, and will focus on attitudes to ageing and ageism.  During the seminar, Paula Devine and Gemma Carney (ARK Ageing Programme) will discuss key findings from the 2014 Life & Times survey.  Claire Keatinge (Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland) will highlight the importance of research in helping policy makers make Northern Ireland a better place for older people.  For more information, contact Caroline at Tel: 02890 973222  |  Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit: www.ark.ac.uk/ageing

{jcomments off}‘Healthy Food Made Easy’ is a HSE funded six week nutrition and cookery course.  It aims to help people of all ages and abilities to make healthier choices when shopping, cooking and eating.  Courses can be run for local clubs or individuals, and requests from men’s groups are particularly welcome.  For more information, contact Linda Scanlan in Northside Partnership on Tel: 01 8485608 or visit: www.northsidepartnership.ie/healthy-food-made-easy

{jcomments off}The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) is offering comprehensive one-day training on the basics of sexual and reproductive health.  This training is recommended for health professionals, educators, carers, youth, social and community workers, or anyone who wants to know more about sexual and reproductive health.  The course content includes: contraception; sexually transmitted infections; unplanned or crisis pregnancy; sexual health; healthy relationships; legislation and the age of consent.  The next training takes place on Thursday 17th September 2015.  To find out more, visit: www.ifpa.ie/Education-Training/Programmes/Sexual-Health

{jcomments off}The Health, Sport and Exercise Science Department within Waterford Institute of Technology is seeking to recruit a full-time Research Assistant (on a nine month contract) to help with an evaluation of the 'Men on the Move' (MoM) initiative.  MoM is a community-based physical activity programme for adult men.  This study will investigate the impact of the programme on the physical fitness, weight status and general health of the men who attend, and will explore how it could inform the development of a model of good practice that could be adopted elsewhere.  The closing date for applications is Thursday 11th June 2015.  Further details can be found at: www.irishjobs.ie/Jobs/Research-Assistant-Ref-No-014858-7574649.aspx 

{jcomments off}Not everybody knows about Men’s Health Week (MHW), what it hopes to do, why it needs to happen, or how they can get involved.  That’s why there is a MHW 2015 ‘Toolbox for Action’.  This useful resource can be downloaded at: www.mhfi.org/mhw2015toolbox.pdf

{jcomments off}Absolutely everyone can do something to support and celebrate Men’s Health Week (MHW) 2015.  The focus for this year (i.e. ‘Creating Culture Change’) lends itself to a wide range of ways to mark this occasion.  However, you don’t have to stick rigidly to this particular topic.  Anything which encourages men and boys to lead healthier lifestyles, to be more aware of preventable health problems, and to seek early detection and treatment for health difficulties will be very welcome.  You might have time, energy and resources to plan something big.  However, even if you can’t, there are still simple and easy ways to get involved.  These could include, for example ...

• Putting-up a poster and/or sending the postcards to people you know.
• Advertising MHW on your own website.
• Creating a link from your website to the MHW 2015 web page (www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2015.html).
• Sending an email to everyone in your contacts list about Men’s Health Week and asking them to forward the message.
• Inserting the MHW logo (www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-image-pack.html) into your outgoing emails.
• Becoming a fan of the Men’s Health Week in Ireland’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MensHealthWeek) and sending the link to all your friends.
• Including information about MHW in your mailouts / newsletters.
• Telling others about what is happening in your area during MHW by posting details on the MHW website (www.mhfi.org/mhw/promote-an-event.html).
• Reminding your colleagues to follow all the latest MHW news on Twitter (www.twitter.com/MensHealthIRL).
• Tweeting about MHW 2015, and including #CreatingCultureChange in your tweet.
• Encouraging the men you know to get involved in some of the activities taking place around the country ...

Doing one or more of these simple (and cost-free) things would contribute hugely to MHW 2015!

For even more ideas, download a copy of our paper on what you can do to mark MHW 2015 at: www.mhfi.org/mhw2015celebrateit.pdf

{jcomments off}Even if you don’t do anything else to support Men’s Health Week (MHW) this year, you can at least put up a poster to let everyone know when it’s taking place!  Former international rugby player Tony Ward (Irish sporting legend, prostate cancer sufferer, and champion of men’s health) will be acting as the ‘face’ of Men’s Health Week 2015 in Ireland when he stars in a nationwide poster campaign.  The posters are free, and are available in A3 size hard copy as well as in a range of electronic formats (from the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland website).  You can find details of how to get copies of these posters at: www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2015.html#Poster  If you don’t have space to put up a poster in your workplace, college, community centre, church, shop, Men’s Shed ...  why not leave some of the new postcards lying around or, better still, send some of them to the men you know?  The front of the postcard is a smaller version of the poster image, and the back has a pre-written message and a space for an address.  These postcards are only available in hard copy, and details of how to order them can be found at: www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2015.html#Postcard

{jcomments off}A newly updated, free, 32 page, 'Challenges and Choices' Man Manual is now being distributed by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland to mark Men’s Health Week 2015.   This poses ten simple and practical health challenges to men and, to meet every challenge, it offers three choices. To find out how to order copies, visit: www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2015.html#Challenges