START is a five year public health awareness campaign from safefood, the HSE and Healthy Ireland.  It is asking parents to reduce the amount of screen time their children have, encourage them to become more active, and get them on the way to a healthier diet and lifestyle.  To support this process, a new website offers lots of simple and practical ideas on how to make 'daily wins' and to sustain any positive changes made.  Fathers - and all males in a parenting role - can play a huge part in this development.  To find out more, visit: www.makeastart.ie

Mouth, head and neck cancer is a term used to describe different types of cancer that can affect your lips, gums, cheeks, tongue, palate, tonsils, throat, salivary glands, sinuses, nose and voice box (larynx).  They happen when normal cells grow in an abnormal way to form a mass of cells called a tumour in the tissues of your head or neck.  These type of cancers are more common in men than women, so why not check out the Irish Cancer Society’s information leaflet at: www.mhfi.org/HeadCancers.pdf for advice and guidance?

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association is proud to announce the new ‘Events’ section on its dedicated men’s health website: www.malehealth.ie  Organisations running an event, workshop, programme, open day, talk etc. of interest to men can now register the details of it at: www.malehealth.ie/events   Men of all ages can then log on to the site and search for events taking place at a location near them.  Ten new health topics will be featured on the site soon.  For further information, please visit the site or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Family Mediation NI (FMNI) is inviting applications for their comprehensive training route to becoming an accredited Family Mediator, recognised in the UK and Ireland.  The first step to achieving this is to successfully complete a Foundation Training Programme.  FMNI is approved by The College of Mediators (UK) and The Mediators’ Institute of Ireland to deliver a course comprised of both generic mediation training and a specialist element for working with separating couples.  FMNI is offering the twelve day Foundation Training Programme this Autumn over six two day modules in Belfast.  Download the application pack at: www.familymediationni.org.uk/training/approved-foundation-training-programme

In March this year, the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) worked in partnership with Men’s Action Network and the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland to run an event in Derry / Londonderry titled ‘Hope from Hopelessness’.  This focused upon men and mental health.  To build upon the energy generated at this conference, the partners have arranged to run an ‘Engage’ Training for Trainers (TfT) programme between October and December 2018.  ‘Engage’ was developed in the Republic of Ireland as part of the National Men’s Health Policy in response to the growing demand from service providers for support to improve their engagement and work with men.

This TfT will create a team of facilitators who understand why and how to engage more effectively with men of all ages, and who are willing to cascade their learning (via workshops) throughout the WHSCT catchment area during 2019.  To be eligible for a place on this free training, you must: work (at least partially) within the WHSCT area; have regular contact with men; have the backing of your employer / organisation to participate; be an experienced group facilitator; be aware of men’s health needs; be willing to participate in all elements of the programme (five days training, one follow-up day and the delivery at least three workshops afterwards).  Applications are welcomed from both men and women, and from people working in the voluntary, community and statutory sectors.  For more information, email Sonia Montgomery at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On the 24th of July 2018, Ministers at the Department of Health and Social Care accepted the advice of the government’s vaccination advisory committee (JCVI) that the national HPV vaccination programme should be extended to include adolescent boys in England.  During the preceding week, Health Ministers in Wales and Scotland confirmed that they would be introducing vaccinations for boys.  This means that, each year, around 400,000 boys can be protected against HPV infection and the diseases that it causes, including cancer.  It brings the UK into line with around 20 other countries that already vaccinate boys or which plan to do so soon.  HPV Action is now calling for: (i) immediate confirmation that boys in Northern Ireland will also be vaccinated; (ii) the early publication of an implementation plan for a national rollout; (iii) a catch-up programme for boys which parallels that available for girls; (iv) the production of information materials targeted at boys, their parents and teachers; and (v) a national campaign which seeks to maximise vaccine uptake in both sexes.  Find out more at: www.hpvaction.org

The ‘SSaMs’ (Sports Students as Mentors) Project is an exciting new initiative which aims to prevent early school leaving and to improve educational attainment among boys through the mentoring capabilities of sports students.  The National Centre for Men’s Health in the Institute of Technology Carlow is working alongside the University of Gloucestershire (UK), University of Thessaly (Greece), Palacký University (Czech Republic), University of Murcia (Spain) and CESIE (Italy) to develop gender-sensitive resources for use within Higher Education Institutes.  These will: (a) enhance the knowledge of undergraduate sports students with regard to working with young males; and (b) enable sport students to provide mentoring support in future vocational settings involving work with young males to motivate them to stay at school. To find out more, visit: www.sportsmentors.eu

This free programme is open to all men and offers: weekly health information talks; physical activity sessions; dedicated staff to support you with your goals; health checks.  It will run for ten weeks - every Thursday at 7.00pm, from 6th September - 8th November 2018.  It will be held in Brownlow Community Hub, Craigavon, Co. Armagh.  If you are interested in hearing more, contact Frances Haughey (Health Improvement Officer, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council) at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  | Tel: 07500 772905.