During May 2019, See Change will be coordinating its seventh annual month long ‘Green Ribbon Campaign’.  This aims to challenge the stigma associated with mental health difficulties and to create an environment where people feel they can be open about their own and others mental health difficulties.  Everyone is invited to wear a green ribbon as a visual symbol of their support for the campaign.  Find out more about how you can get involved at https://seechange.ie and access the supporters’ pack at https://seechange.ie/download-our-supporters-pack

There is a commonly-held idea that men are invariably self-destructive when it comes to their health.  But this is not true.  Globally, most men do enough physical activity to benefit their health and do not smoke or drink alcohol.  Yet men’s health is still unnecessarily poor.  ‘Who Self-Cares Wins’ shows that male gender norms are a key barrier to better self-care for men; with the men who most closely identify with traditional masculinity being most likely to exhibit damaging lifestyle behaviours.  However, at the same time, health policies and services have rarely addressed men’s health needs.  This report argues that while it is clearly the responsibility of individual men to take care of their own health, strategies to improve men’s health cannot simply be based on changing lifestyle practices that are rooted in gender norms and other social determinants of health.  Who Self-Cares Wins proposes that action on a multi-layered and systems-wide basis is needed to improve men’s self-care effectively.  Read the report at: http://gamh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Who-Self-Cares-Wins.GAMH_.April-2019.Final-report.pdf

Currently, the needs of young fathers tend to be largely forgotten about by family support services.  At the same time, research is telling us that being involved in the lives of their children brings enormous benefits to both the children and the fathers themselves.  Young fathers, in particular, face numerous obstacles to participating in the lives of their children.  The Teen Parents Support Programme (TPSP) is offering a free, one-day, workshop for professionals who have contact with young fathers.  This event will take place on Thursday 16th May 2019, from 9.30am to 4.30pm, in Dublin, and aims to: raise awareness of the value of fatherhood; explore the obstacles to becoming involved which some young fathers face; reflect on participants' own attitudes and values and how these may shape their approach to working with young fathers; introduce participants to the use of the 'Young Dads Resource Pack' and other relevant materials.  To find out more / book a place, see: https://www.activelink.ie/content/community-exchange/training/43074

The Irish Heart Foundation recently launched a new, free, community CPR training programme called 'Hands for Life'.  The programme was launched by nurse Aoife McGivney, who used her CPR training to save the life of a bus driver who was suffering a cardiac emergency.  Hands for Life will offer CPR training to 100,000 people throughout Ireland, and will take place in local community centres, clubs and libraries across the country over the next two years.  This really is an ideal opportunity to get men involved in a 'hands-on' project!  Find out more at: https://irishheart.ie/courses/hands-for-life

Would you be up for taking either a short, medium or long walk to help to stop prostate cancer from being a killer? …  If so, you might be interested in this year's 'March for Men' event in Belfast.  The short route is also fully accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.  However, if it has been a wet summer, this may be subject to change.  This event will take place on Sunday 9th June 2019, in Stormont Estate, Belfast, at 11.00am.  Find out more at:  https://events.prostatecanceruk.org/ps/event/MarchforMenBelfast

The 'Big Parenting Survey' was a first of its kind study.  Parenting NI wanted to get the real, unvarnished experiences and thoughts of parents from across Northern Ireland, so they sought out the views of people from a broad spectrum of ages, geographical locations, communities and genders, and invited them to share their experiences in their own words.  The outcome was an astoundingly direct and challenging response from a diverse range of 1,191 parents.  These people talked about their hopes for their children, their fears and concerns, their views on society and more.  The survey reflected the experience of parents who were coping well, as well as those near breaking point.  Read the report at: www.parentingni.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Big-Parenting-Survey-Findings-2018-Final-compressed.pdf

In many countries, smoking rates are higher among men than women - highlighting the importance of focusing on factors that influence smoking prevalence among men.  Expressed masculinities occur within settings that can influence men’s perspectives and behaviours towards smoking.  This scoping review provides an overview of key aspects of how masculinities underpin men’s behaviours regarding tobacco smoking.  It can be accessed online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16549716.2019.1589763

Childhood obesity continues to be a major health issue on the island of Ireland, with many interventions underway to tackle the issue. This event will explore childhood obesity through the lens of children's rights; highlighting challenges and exploring clinical and public health interventions.  It will take place on Tuesday 11th June 2019, from 10.00am - 1.30pm, in the Ulster Museum, Belfast.  To find out more, see: www.safefood.eu/Professional/Events/All-island-Obesity-Action-Forum-Children%E2%80%99s-rights,-children%E2%80%99s-weight.aspx