Explain, Explore, and Celebrate - BEING a MAN

International Men’s Day is celebrated around the world in at least 60 countries. It invites every man, woman, girl and boy in the world to come together and celebrate men and boys in all their diversity.

It provides a fantastic opportunity for us to:

Highlight some serious issues effecting men and boys and their well-being

Make a difference to men and boys’ lives

Celebrate Britain’s men and boys in all their diversity

Have some serious fun

With this in mind International Men’s Day will be celebrated this year in Stroud, outside the Subs Rooms from 10:00 – 2:00 on Saturday 17th November;

This funding covers the hire of the Subrooms forecourt and some other set-up expenses; we will be also raising funds on the day with sales and donations.

This event, ‘Explain, Explore, Celebrate –BEING A MAN’ is an opportunity to share ideas around modern masculinity, learn about some of the issues affecting men and boys today including ‘toxic masculinity’, and to enjoy some of the performances, including singing, music, story-telling and stand-up, as well as crafts, kids activities, and cakes and books to buy. There will be representatives from local and national organisations working with men and boys, including Mankind Project, Band of Brothers, and Stroud’s own Journeyman, which supports boys and young men and creates rites of passage experiences for them.

Alongside International Women’s Day in March, International Men’s Day aims to create a safer world for everyone, to improve gender relations and to promote gender equality. It aims to promote positive male role models and to celebrate the contribution that men make, both in society and industry, but in the home and family as well – and the importance of these roles in raising healthy young men. The day also focuses our attention on some of the serious problems men face from high suicide rates, depression, and loneliness, health issues including shorter life expectancy and workplace deaths, as well as men generally not always looking after them selves or their health; men often struggle to express emotions or affection, suffer addictions and can resort to violence, including sexual violence, as a result of this. In celebrating men, and exploring ways of expressing more positive models of being a man, this family friendly, diverse, and interesting event plans to build on our experiences of healthy maleness to see how we can make a difference to men and boys, and how we can give men and boys better life chances.

Everyone is welcome, come and watch, join in, support and have some fun.