Men, loneliness and vulnerability

Men are vulnerable to loneliness, and we’re vulnerable because of loneliness. As we grow up, we absorb countless messages about being strong and self-sufficient, and experience at first or second hand the many ways a man can be judged and punished for being ‘weak’.

One of the impacts of the pandemic is that we lose most of our regular avenues for socialisation, and we start to feel the absence of all those easy and informal opportunities- a conversation in the staff kitchen, singling out one or two people in a group at a bar or a barbecue to talk to, sitting with a bunch of friends in front of the tv watching sport. 

To prevent loneliness, we need a certain amount of one-to-one contact, the sort that you just can’t get from a Zoom group chat. But when the alternative is making a call, being the first one to reach out, this is when we start to get into trouble. The vulnerability is right there. Will he think I’m being weak? What if he doesn’t want to talk? A man I was talking to last week said that friends found out he’d been dealing with something (after it was over), and told him they would have been there for him if only he'd contacted them. So, feeling down a bit later, he tried taking them up on the offer, but they wouldn’t even answer the phone.

Some men manage to do male friendships well, and don’t seem to struggle so much with having men in their lives who can really be counted on.  We need to have them tell their stories, so the rest of us can learn from them, and start preparing for when the going gets tough, or even when it’s just moderately uncomfortable. I mean, just how bad do things have to be for men to reach out?

Read more on the EveryMan blog here: Men, loneliness and vulnerability 

Three young Indigenous women have been granted a lifeline by an award-winning support program.

EveryMan Australia has granted the teenagers - aged between 16 to 20 - two years worth of housing support and mentorship to support their housing and study needs.

Two of the recipients are studying at the Canberra Institute of Technology, and the third has been offered a placement within a childcare centre.

EveryMan's Indigenous Support and Accommodation Case Manager Panya Connors said the support was to help the young people overcome traumatic past experiences.

EveryMan takes home 2021 ACT NAIDOC Non-Indigenous Contribution of the Year Award

On July 3 at the 2021 NAIDOC Awards, EveryMan was extremely proud to receive the 2021 ACT NAIDOC Non-Indigenous Contribution of the Year Award. Panya from the EveryMan Indigenous Support and Accommodation Team was also nominated for the Canberra & District Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Sector Worker of the Year award.

EveryMan is committed to providing support Services to for the Indigenous Community and  has successful programs across this space. For more information visit our website.

We look at racism within the industry

This month in our Fast 5 Quick Chat Series we talk to Greg Aldridge about racism in the industry and the challenges that exist in the community sector. Make sure you watch this interview and many more on the EveryMan Youtube Channel.
 

Brumbies take on EveryMan staff and families from the Indigenous Support and Accommodation Program

On July 14, Thanks to GIVIT EveryMan staff and clients were were given the opportunity to play footy with Brumbies Rugby. Families from our Indigenous Accommodation and Support program had a ball at Griffith ovals and gave the Brumbies a run for their money!

Check out the photos from the day on the  EveryMan Facebook page.