We are a grass roots community building initiative for men. A place where men can find, build and also provide positive and supportive male relationships. The Men’s Table is a community.
The simple approach of having an affordable meal together in a private confidential space has proven to create great places for men. Not only do men benefit from The Men’s Tables, the community as a whole is a better place as men support each other to unburden themselves of their lows and share the highs of their lives. All this with a group of men who also have a wide range of lived experiences.
This report explores the evidence for some of the factors in men’s lives that are behind mental health issues and suicidal behaviours with a particular focus on social isolation.
It explores the evidence surrounding The Men’s Table’s deceptively simple, low cost approach to supporting men and puts forward a model for preventive men’s low intensity mental health that sits outside the healthcare system, building protective factors into the lives of men and their families before health interventions are needed.
Men are thought to be reticent help-seekers who are reluctant to share personal thoughts and emotions, yet there is little understanding of how men really approach help-seeking.
This report presents the newest research relating to men’s mental health and best practice preventative measures.
The National Mental Health Commission encouraged us to do research on how the Tables work, and the benefits to men. The result of this work is our Model of Care report.
This report builds upon our previous evaluation projects about the positive impacts of The Men’s Table on the lives of men who sit at Tables, from the perspective of those close to them.
By creating places where men can share and support one another through meaningful social connection, we are building social capital and protective factors for men’s wellbeing.
This report shares our impact and insights from 2024 with a look towards our focus for the future.
Men are more likely to experience loneliness than women
40% of single fathers report emotional loneliness and lack of social support
Widowed men, and retirees, report high rates of loneliness
Men experiencing financial stress are also more likely to be lonely
Feeling lonely can pose a bigger risk for premature death than smoking or obesity
Social loneliness is the absence of a reliable and trusted social network
The Men’s Table works to improve men’s mental health, by helping men build meaningful male friendships and community belonging as safe places to share, overcoming the stigma that men don’t talk.
We enjoy the contributions of many to help grow our grassroots community and bring our vision of Healthy Men, Healthy Masculinities, Healthy Communities to life.
The financial support we receive in the form of grants from local councils, health agencies (Eg. PHNs, Health Departments) and individual charities are used to set in motion a proven local community activation and outreach process to gather men to an Entree. The resulting Table then receives ongoing mentorship and assistance to maintain healthy, long term Table functioning, using the guidelines learned from other groups.
Our sustainable and preventative approach to men’s health and wellbeing is low cost and contributes to alleviating the growing burden on our healthcare system. Our anonymous annual survey among men at Tables reveals the positive impact of participation.
of participants were able to describe positive mental health impacts, including more awareness or release of emotions and burdens.
participants noted positive impacts on relationships beyond the Table, including with partners and families
of participants found a greater sense of community belonging and contribution.
Partners we work with:
In addition to gratefully receiving financial support to continue building healthy Tables, we work with our corporate partners to support workplace wellbeing, and more broadly organisational culture.
We know leadership behaviour affects culture, but how much attention are we all paying to some of the in-built norms about gender and leadership?
What if there was a way of fostering Healthy Masculinities amongst the men in workplaces? And what do healthy masculinities look like?
Using evidence-based impact reports and in-community experience, Men’s Table workshops help implement your organisational policies that prioritise:
The Men’s Table offers keynotes, webinars and corporate programs to discuss healthy masculinities in the workplace and the importance of developing emotional intelligence. If this is something that could be of benefit in your workplace download the webinar pack or get in touch.
The Men’s Table is surrounded by a community of men and women who donate their expertise and services to help us create healthy men, healthy masculinities and healthy communities. Maybe you can help out?
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