Don’t miss out on the early bird rate, ends February 10

Male Suicide tops the agenda at 

NEW MALE NATIONAL MALE HEALTH CONFERENCE

Present Challenges and Future Solutions

Thursday March 2 & Friday March 3, 2017

Holiday Inn Hotel, 18 – 40 Anderson Street, Parramatta

SPECIAL ADD ON EVENT Wednesday March 1 STOP MALE SUICIDE TRAINING DAY

only $100 for Conference Participants

The unacceptably high rate of male suicide in Australia will be one of the key issues discussed at a national men’s health conference to be held in Sydney in three weeks time.

With male suicide now claiming six lives a day and costing the economy an estimated $13.75B a year, some of the country’s leading voices in the fight against suicide will come together to discuss what action we can take to prevent male suicide in Australia.

On day one of the NEW MALE Glen Poole of the Stop Male Suicide project will chair a panel discussion featuring:

• Pete Shmigel, CEO of Lifeline, the national suicide prevention charity;
• Gus Worland, presenter of ABC’s Man Up initiative;
• Dr Kairi Kõlves, Principal Research Fellow and Course Convener at the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP), Griffith University;
• Owen Connolly, a nurse practitioner who developed and implement Latrobe Regional Hospital’s suicide prevention service in Gippsland.

This two-hour session will be followed by a choice of four, one-hour workshops, led by specialists working with specific groups of men, including:

• Andrew Little, Deputy Executive Director of the National LGBTI Health Alliance leading a session on GBTI Suicide Prevention & Mental Health;

• Stuart McMinn of the Interrelate Family Centre, leading a yarning session on male suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;

• Darrin Lincoln, the NSW Reintegration Manager at Solider On Australia, with a session on the importance of working with ex-service men;

• Phil Chapman of the Male Room in Nelson, discussing his research, resourced by the Royal New Zealand Families Commission, into the experiences of separated fathers, one of the high risk groups for male suicide.

On day two of NEW MALE the focus of the conversation shifts beyond male suicide, there are a number of speakers who will be of interest to anyone concerned about male suicide prevention, including:

• Professor John Macdonald, lead author of the Men’s Health Information Resource Centre’s seminal research paper: Pathways to Despair: The Social Determinants of male suicide;

• Professor Jane Pirkis, Director of the Centre for Mental Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, who has undertaken numerous studies on men’s health and suicide prevention and played a lead role in developing ABC’s Man Up series on male suicide. 

• Joe Williams, the NRL player and boxing pro who has become and international advocate for mental health and suicide prevention through his charity The Enemy Within;

• James Greenshields, former army officer and founder of the Resilient Leaders Foundation, which runs “Put Your Hand Up” workshops for men across Australia.

In addition to the main conference, Glen Poole of the Stop Male Suicide project will deliver a pre-conference male suicide prevention workshop on Wednesday 1st March. Anyone attending the conference can purchase a ticket to this training day at a special delegate rate when they register. If you are not a conference delegate, you can purchase a full-price ticket to the training day using the links below:

• Book your place at the NEW MALE: National Men’s Health Conference here
• Book your place at the Male Suicide Prevention training here

There are limited places so make sure you secure your place at the NEW MALE: National Men’s Health Conference 2017 today.  Link to NEW MALE UPDATED PROGRAM    Check the WEBSITE  for the latest information.

Registration includes Conference Satchel and Program, Conference Folder with a free copy of "Regular Joe vs. Mr Invincible" by Dr. Elizabeth Celi, PhD, all refreshments and lunches.

Link  to REGISTRATION FORM

EARLY BIRD RATE DEC 26 - FEB 10 $450 FULL PRICE FEB 11 - FEB 28 $500, One Day Registration $260, Add On Stop Male Suicide Training at Parramatta Swimming Centre only $100

CONFERENCE DINNER Thursday March 2 6.30 pm, 3 course buffet dinner, tea, coffee, soft drinks, entertainment and Guest Speaker $65

ACCOMMODATION: Please contact Holiday Inn Hotel Parramatta for the Special NEW MALE Conference Accommodation Rates

NEW MALE is presented by Men’s Health SERVICES in association with Glen Poole, Stop Male Suicide Project and in partnership with the following organisations.

Keynote speaker:

The Honourable Jeff Kennett AC, the founding Chairman of beyondblue; along with a panel of industry leaders from sports, business and entertainment.

Funds will go towards supporting the work of Foundation 49: Men’s Health.

When: Wednesday 11thJune 2014

Time: 7.30am – 9.00am

Registration: from 7.00am

Where: RACV Club, Level 17, 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000

Ticket prices: Single ticket – $100, Tables of 10 – $1000 (GST incl.)

Sponsorships: Table sponsorship available at $1500 per table (GST incl.)

Booking: online – click here

Enquiries: phone (03) 9508 3549 or (03) 9508 1386 or email F49Businessbreakfast@cabrini.com.au

Warren Farrell is an American educator, activist and author of seven books on men's and women's issues. He came to prominence in the 1970s as one of the leading male thinkers championing the cause of second wave feminism, and serving on the New York City Board of the National Organization of Women (NOW). However, when NOW took policy positions that Farrell regarded as anti-male and anti-father, he continued supporting the expansion of women’s options while adding what he felt was missing about boys, men and fathers. He is now recognized as one of the most important figures in the modern men's movement.
In 2009, a call from the White House requesting Dr. Farrell to be an advisor to the White House Council on Women and Girls led to Dr. Farrell creating and chairing a commission to create a White House Council on Boys and Men. The multi-partisan commission consists of thirty-five authors and practitioners (e.g., John Gray, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Michael Gurian, Michael Thompson, Bill Pollack, Leonard Sax) of boys' and men's issues. They have completed a study that defines five components to a "boys' crisis," which has been submitted as a proposal for President Obama to create a White House Council on Boys and Men.

Glen Poole

Glen Poole is a radical voice in the world of gender equality with a unique ability to bring together the many different factions of the "men’s movement" in pursuit of better outcomes for men and boys in areas like health, fatherhood, education and safety.
Glen is based in the UK where he hosts the annual National Conference for Men and Boys, is lead co-ordinator for International Men’s Day in the UK and globally and runs the consultancy Helping Men.

Prof. Alan White

Prof. Alan White has been developing his research and scholarly activity around men’s health for over 15 years. There are three main strands to his work: Gendered Epidemiology (exploring the data relating to men and their health and health service usage); Men and Public Health (how men engage with the health service and how the health service meets the needs of men); and Men’s Experience of ill-health. 
A pioneer for men’s health, Alan set up the Centre for Men’s Health in 2007 and has been the Chair of the Board of Trustees Men’s Health Forum (England and Wales) since 2001. He is also a Board Member of the International Society of Men’s Health. He sits on the joint National Cancer Research Institute and National Cancer Equalities Initiative Equalities in Research Committee.
In March 2012 he received the Nursing Standard Robert Tiffany International Award for his work on raising the profile of men’s health across Europe and leading on the State of Men’s Health in Europe Report for the European Commission.

Richard Aston

Richard is the Chief Executive of Big Buddy NZ. Big Buddy is a free, secular, mentoring service run by dedicated professionals who recruit and rigorously screen male volunteers from the community to become mentors to fatherless boys. Big Buddy are a registered charity, governed by the Big Buddy Mentoring Trust, and audited annually. The award-winning programme currently covers the Greater Auckland, Wellington and North Shore/Rodney areas, with expansion plans covering the rest of New Zealand. Richard is father of four grown children and grandfather to two mokos. He has been married to Ruth for nearly 30 years. When he is not running Big Buddy, he spends a lot of time with his family and friends, gardens, likes to read and write poetry and keeps up to date with current thinking in physics and psychology. He is a marriage celebrant and deputy chair of Consumer NZ.

David Bartlett

David has a longstanding commitment to gender equality and strengthening men’s roles in children’s lives. He worked as a social worker from 1987 to 2000; in 1997 he, set up NEWPIN’s community-based Fathers Centre in London. David was one of the founders of Fathers Direct in 1999. David builds national strategic partnerships and develops new opportunities for joint working. He advises nationally and locally on developing father-inclusive policies and services. He has written widely about fatherhood, including co-authoring the Institute’s Toolkit for Developing Father-Inclusive Practice.

Joe Puketapu

Joe Puketapu lives in Blenhem where he is employed as Co-Manager of Te Hauora o Ngati Rarua. As part of his role with Te Hauora o Ngati Rarua Joe was instrumental in the successful preparation and submission of a business case to the Ministry of Health to obtain funding towards holding the inaugural Tane Ora National Conference in 2009. The conference attendee’s mandated the conference organising committee to continue as the Interim National Maori Men’s Health Coalition of which Joe is currently the Chairperson.
In addition Joe holds many other roles as the Chair of Waikawa Marae at Picton, a Director of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, a Trustee of Te Atiawa Manawhenua ki Te Tau Ihu Trust, a Trustee of the Kimi Hauora Public Health Organisation, Chair of the Iwi Health Board and Board member of the Nelson Marlborough Conservation Board. His iwi affiliations are with Te Atiawa Nui Tonu.

Randal Ross

Randal has three traditional descendant backgrounds, his Aboriginal is the Bindol and Juru from the Burdekin and Bowen region and Kunjun connection in Coen/Lockhart River, his Torres Strait Island family is from Erub(Darnley Island) and is also a Kanaka descendent of the Australian South Sea Islander with many of his family residing in Ayr and Bowen Districts. Randal is a current Building Indigenous Research Capacity Scholar (BIRC) with James Cook University. Randal has had a strong background working with governments at local, state and federal levels in both Queensland and New South Wales. Much of his work has been related to working with Indigenous youth and families in both states. Randal’s future aim is to develop programs about restoring indigenous families particularly around men.  ‘Many of our Indigenous families are being headed by our strong Indigenous Women’ and Randal’s vision is to restore a vital cultural balance within the family by working with Men. Randal is a Cofounder of the Red Dust Healing program which has been operating with his Partner and Close friend Tom Powell for the past six years. Randal has now seen over five thousand participants participate in the Red Dust Healing from all ages from children, youth, Woman, Elders, Non Indigenous and especially Men with astonishing results. ‘It is our time to turn the hearts of the fathers to our children, and the hearts of our children to our fathers’.

The National Men's Health Gathering will be held in Brisbane on the 22 - 25 October 2013. For more information please visit www.workingwithmen.org.au 

Men's Health Week is just 4 weeks away!

Men's Health Week is about encouraging local people to respond to the health and wellbeing needs of boys and blokes as they see fit.

Based on the idea that local people and local services are best placed to tackle health challenges, our 'Health Snapshots' theme aims to showcase the many different and creative ways local communities are responding.

You Can Order Poster and Flier Packs

To support your local efforts and help you look good, we're providing poster and flier packs free of charge.

Take a look, put them up at work or on the fridge and give some thought to how your boys and blokes are faring in your region...

And please, pass this on to your friends and colleagues (it's good karma!):

Run An Event - Get Some Giveaways

Of course, the best way to connect with local fellas is to put on an event that they'll want to be part of.

We've put together some useful places to find resources and create events that blokes and their families will want to part of.

And, if you do run an event, well throw in some extra special goodies to get the crowd talking.

You can register an event here - it need not be massive, just something that engages men in healthy living in some form. Check out what others are doing in your area.

No matter what the details of your abuse, you can contact SAMSN about joining. Acceptance is an important feature of their joint recovery so the groups are open to men from different cultures and sexual orientation. There are clear guidelines to ensure confidentiality and a structure that ensures the whole focus of the groups is SAFETY.

Men who have completed one of the 8 week groups can continue to use the support of other Survivors. SAMSN men meet once a month to continue their shared journey at relaxed meetings with the same support, same safety and same mateship. “Don’t let those feelings of isolation back into your life,” says Mark Griffiths. “Keep in contact with SAMSN and in helping yourself, you will help SAMSN grow so it can help other men like yourself.”

If you decide you want to join a group, one of the psychologists who will be facilitating the group will get in touch, ask you some basic questions and outline how the group functions.

Participants who have a GP referral will be eligible for a Medicare rebate of $20.45 per session. SAMSN is happy to recommend GPs if you require one.

To register your interest please visit www.samsn.com.au/sydney-8-week-groups/ or call 0479 195 756. If they are unable to take your call please leave a message and know that they will get back to you within 24hrs – they do not leave messages on voice mail and they will keep your details private.

Comments from SAMSN 8 week group participants:

“The privilege of being heard and treated as a valuable being among others is an enormous gift that life doesn’t readily deliver. It makes it possible to be more who you really are.”
Bran, 41

“The group has made me a much more confident and stronger person.”
Trev, 46

“Hearing other people’s stories, the similarity of emotions and effects … It has made me realise that my feelings are normal after what I have been through. It has given me more confidence. I highly recommend it.”
Talal, 36

“My anger is now directed outwards at the man that abused me instead of at me. I can now see how the abuse has affected me, I have stopped abusing myself! I have the courage to tell people I am a survivor.”
Mark, 40

“This has helped me heal a very difficult, complex wound that I have carried since childhood. It has given me the opportunity to look at something I have kept pretty much to myself and has helped me to heal.”
Jonno, 40

“Just knowing that I am not alone, that other guys have gone through what I have and can understand how I feel is so powerful! I only met these guys eight weeks ago, but we have known each other all of our lives.”
Stu, 51

Event Details

The 2013 Blokes Day Out Festival showcases services, resources and information on blokes' health and well-being that all boys, men and their families should know about. This is a family event with food, entertainment and heaps of great activities for all ages. The 2013 event will have a focus on young males around all aspects of their well-being including physical health, mental health and social connection.

Website

www.barwonhealth.org.au 

Related Documents

2013 BDO Information Sheet.doc (232448kb)