{jcomments off}Are you a man aged 50+ in the Belfast area, who is interested in hearing about the opportunities to set up a men’s group / Men's Shed or how to become more active in your community? ...  The benefits include making new friends, learning new skills, social opportunities, and better physical and mental health.  Hear how other men aged 50+ have already done this locally.  There will be information and advice on: the benefits of setting up a men’s group; who can help and advise you on setting up a group (including sources of funding); volunteering opportunities for men aged 50+; other ways to stay active.  There will be four events taking place throughout Belfast in February and March 2015.  See www.mhfi.org/men50plus.pdf for more details of the dates, times and venues.  The first gathering will take place on Monday 2nd February 2015, at 10.30am, in Mountpottinger Presbyterian Church, Castlereagh Street, Belfast.  Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

{jcomments off}YouthAction Northern Ireland’s Young Men and Violence Peer Research Groups in South Armagh and East Belfast are developing a study which focuses on young men and violence.  They are seeking as many young men aged 14 - 25 years as possible to complete their short, anonymous, online survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/PLZGFYX

{jcomments off}A PhD scholarship is now available at Queen’s University Belfast's School of Nursing to study teenage men and unintended pregnancy.  Teenage pregnancy rates in the USA and the UK remain the highest in the developed world, and the reduction of unintended pregnancy is resolutely on the international policy agenda.  Within this policy drive to reduce unintended pregnancies, global organisations - such as the World Health Organisation - recognise that young men’s involvement in decisions in relation to preventing and dealing with unintended pregnancies has been neglected in the research literature and is rarely considered in clinical practice.  We know very little about how young men experience and participate in decision-making in relation to an unintended pregnancy from their own perspectives.  Full details of this PhD scholarship can be found at: www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofNursingandMidwifery/Research/PostgraduateResearch/ProspectiveStudents   The closing date for applications is Monday 16th February 2015. 

{jcomments off}Electric Ireland’s Powering Kindness Week is back, and will run from Saturday 17th - Friday 23rd January 2015.  During Powering Kindness Week, every time you do something kind or appreciate when someone is kind to you, you could help to raise valuable funds for the Marie Keating Foundation.  All funds raised will go towards their 'Comfort Fund' which gives small grants to individuals and families that are struggling financially due to a cancer diagnosis.  To find out about how you can simply and easily help the Marie Keating Foundation to achieve this goal visit: www.mhfi.org/PoweringKindness2015.pdf

{jcomments off}On the 11th of November 2014, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) recommended that the HPV vaccination programme should be extended to men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 16-40 via a genitourinary medicine clinic or HIV clinic.  The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) welcomes this as a move in the right direction, but does not feel that it is a sufficient response.  While it might be of some help to the individuals who do receive the vaccine, it is not an effective solution for all men or, indeed, for all MSM.  MHFI's submission to JCVI can be accessed at: www.mhfi.org/JCVIconsultation.pdf

{jcomments off}The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) has just released a report on the findings from the first phase of their ‘Engaging Young Men Project’ (EYMP).  This report highlights that young men do care about their mental health and that - by changing even little things - service providers can make a huge difference to the quality of their engagement with young men.  Between March 2011 and October 2012, MHFI coordinated an action learning project which sought to identify a range of possible means to promote positive mental health among young men on the island of Ireland.  The final report on this initiative made twelve key recommendations.  During 2014, MHFI was supported by funding from the National Office for Suicide Prevention to support the roll-out of one of these recommendations.  This led to the establishment of the Engaging Young Men Project - which seeks to develop a training package that will increase the capacity of service providers to effectively engage with young men in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.  The full report on the first phase of EYMP is available for free downloading at: www.mhfi.org/EYMPmappingreport.pdf

{jcomments off}A new guide launched recently by the Men’s Health Forum in England and Wales, shows how to adapt and run weight-loss programmes so that they are tailored specifically for men.  In the UK, 67% of men are overweight or obese (significantly more than women at 58%), yet men are much less likely to join weight-loss programmes.  Only 10-30% of those in weight-loss programmes are men, and some programmes attract almost no men.  ‘How to Make Weight-Loss Services Work for Men’ is based upon the findings from research led by the University of Aberdeen, in partnership with the University of Stirling and Bournemouth University (see: www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/volume-18/issue-35 for a copy of this report).  The Men's Health Forum in Ireland was delighted to be part of the Advisory Group for this wide-reaching systematic review.  The ‘How To’ practice guide offers advice to anyone who is trying to attract men to weight-loss programmes.  A free PDF copy of the booklet can be accessed online at: www.menshealthforum.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf/how_to_weight_final_lr_1.pdf

{jcomments off}Every year, the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) convenes an all-island Planning Group for Men’s Health Week in Ireland.  Organisations are invited to attend a number of meetings (some face-to-face and some via video-conference between Dublin and Belfast) to discuss the week and help to shape it.  The second meeting of this body will take place on Wednesday 14th January 2015, from 11.00am - 1.45pm (including lunch), in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth.  If you would be interested in contributing to this meeting, please contact Colin Fowler at email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.