What does being a man mean in the 21st century?
What is it with our guys thinking that being 'a man' somehow means using words for the communication of emotions is redundant? Are we still living in the 1940s? Men? Yes, I'm posing that as a question. There is a new men's charity in town called Soften The Fck Up and they plan to do something about this.
“We live in a country where suicide is the biggest killer of men between the ages of 14 - 44. In fact, 80% of all suicides in Australia are men.”
Soften The Fck Up is an initiative of Spur Projects and they're targeting our men who may feel like there is no one to talk to, feel like they are alone or are being pigeon-holed into being the thick- skinned, tough 'manly man' we are encouraged to be.
They have several projects on the go like the recently held 'Fck Up Night', which is a gathering of guys and gals, who are all Spur-ed on to meet at least one new person and share one of their own 'Fck ups' in a comfortable, trendy environment. Then there's 'Go Silent, Get Heard' campaign. “Go silent for 24, 48 or 72 hours. What constitutes "silent"? Well, that's up to you. For most that means no talking, but for others that may be no phone, or no internet, no social media, or any other form of communication.” Last year they raised almost $20,000 by getting us to shut up so men can speak up.
Gather the men in your life and get them on board. The more men who are willing to share their experiences and share the initiative of Spur Projects, Soften The Fck Up, the lower the rate of suicides for men.
Check out the next 'Fck Up Night' in your nearest city on August 28 and get involved with 'Go Silent, Get Heard' to raise money for our boys and get them talking.
