International Men’s Day 2021 shines a light on Men’s Mental Health
International Men’s Day is an opportunity to focus on men, and a day that is marked in around 80 countries.
The theme for IMD is optional and this year, the Australian Men’s Health Forum has chosen to highlight Men’s Mental Health, and the ways blokes can look out for themselves and for their mates.
Why is this so important? Because suicide is the leading cause of males under the age of 55 in Australia.
3 in 4 suicides are male and between 4 and 5 men under 55 die by suicide every day.
And yet, 75% of male suicide attempts are not linked to a mental health issue.
1 in 2 men will have a mental health disorder in their lifetime, which comes in the form of a diagnosable illness like depression or anxiety.
So in talking about men, we think it’s critical to talk about the issues impacting so many men and look at what can be done to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
With this in mind, we have developed a new Know Your Man Facts presentation on Men’s Mental Health, including 10 graphics that can be downloaded and shared across social media, or in the workplace.
The presentation comes with interactive speaker notes and 32 slides that can be tailored to the requirements of those conducting the talk. Some suggestions for delivery:
- Get two or three people in your workplace to give the presentation, dividing up each section and writing responses on a board.
- Hold a morning tea, lunch or afternoon session and give the presentation over, during or before refreshments.
- Print out the 10 KYMF graphics and post them on walls, or in a visible space.
- Print out the Men’s Mental Health infographic and distribute it to your audience as a conclusion to the event.
If you would like a copy of the Men’s Mental Health presentation, please email your request to [email protected].
Also under the Know Your Man Facts stable is a toolkit on men’s health, a generic presentation offered in 2019 and 2020, as well as Know Your Man Facts on Heart Health, developed for Men’s Health Week 2021. Find out more.
All presentations have been developed for people to deliver in multiple settings, and with comprehensive speaker notes, so all you have to do is stand up and lead the conversation!
The Internationalmensday.info website is hosted by AMHF and also lists events that are happening on the day across Australia. If your event is public and you would like it included, please also contact [email protected] with details and links to any booking websites.
There are a huge variety of ways you can mark International Men’s Day. It is a great opportunity to:
- Celebrate men and boys in all their diversity
- Check in on a male friend or family member
- Throw a party and give out appreciation badges to all the blokes in attendance
- Highlight some of the social issues that men and boys face
- Download and share Know Your Man Facts graphics on Men’s Mental Health
- Download and use IMD 2021 social media tiles
AMHF takes an inclusive approach to celebrating International Men’s Day and so we encourage everyone in Australia to join us in marking the day.