MANifest: Connecting Men with Mind Fitness

 

MANifest' takes its inspiration from the approach and format of the ENGAGE programme.  Yet, although ENGAGE workshops were developed for use in the Republic of Ireland, they were also successfully piloted, field-tested and delivered in Northern Ireland - due to the fact that one of the ENGAGE partners (the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland) operated on an all-island basis.  Indeed, the original ENGAGE facilitation team - trained in 2012 - included two people from Northern Ireland.  Later, two further teams of ENGAGE facilitators were trained - via the ‘Man Matters’ programme (2014) and the Western Health and Social Care Trust (2018) - to work specifically in the Northern Irish counties.  However, while ENGAGE mostly explores general men’s health needs and issues, MANifest focuses specifically upon men’s mental health and ‘mind fitness’.

The MANifest programme was conceived, developed, piloted and evaluated by Colin Fowler (Men’s Health Forum in Ireland), Sonia Campbell (Western Health and Social Care Trust, Health Improvement, Equality and Involvement) and Michael Lynch (Men’s Action Network).  The Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Leads in all of Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service supported the development phase, while funding to underwrite the creation and refinement of the programme came from the Public Health Agency.

The programme is based upon research evidence and the partners' practice experience.  All MANifest materials have been rigorously field-tested and evaluated, and they reflect and incorporate the feedback given by participants on the pilot workshops that were held in each Health Trust between 2021 and early 2023.  There are two programme delivery formats: (i) in-room; and (ii) online.  In-room is always the preferred option.

The aim of these workshops is to assist a broad range of practitioners and service providers to explore the key issues that impact men and their mental well being, and understand what works in order to be able to effectively engage with men and signpost them to a range of services.

The workshops primarily focus on the engagement process (i.e. WHY and HOW to build relationships with men and boys in order to explore mental well being), rather than offering a new or revised mental health programme (i.e. WHAT to offer them).  This is because workers, who have had success in engaging this target group, say that if you can get the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ right, then almost anything is possible after that.

The core objectives for this workshop are to:

-  Explore how to create a safe space to work with men.
-  Reflect upon how men and boys are viewed in society.
-  Map the major landmark moments and key transition points in the lives of males.
-  Identify some of the key expectations of / pressures upon men and boys.
-  Understand personal strengths / areas for improvement in relation to working with men.
-  Agree what is meant by ‘mental health’ and ‘mind fitness’.
-  Determine why we need to focus upon males and mind fitness.
-  Highlight factors that might take men ‘to the edge’.
-  Name some of the challenges and barriers to males seeking help.
-  Think about how to read the signs of mental health distress in males.
-  Define some the key characteristics of a ‘male-friendly’ space / service.

The programme is delivered by a minimum of two facilitators via one day workshops, which are free for participants.

The MANifest programme was officially launched on Tuesday 13th June 2023, in the Great Hall of Ulster University's Magee Campus.  See the recording of this event at: https://tinyurl.com/pmhr464k

For more information on MANifest, or to arrange a workshop, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.