Strong Blokes Gathering

“How are you going mate? Yeah good mate. You? Yeah good mate.”

Ever had this ‘conversation’, or some variation, with a bloke? Yeah, me too. Standard question. Standard response, even if you’re not good.

Given,
1 in 4 men will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
1 in 8 men will experience depression.
1 in 5 men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives.
And every day in Australia men make up 7 out of 9 deaths by suicide. Nearly double the national road toll.

It’s clear things aren’t always ‘good’.

We blokes tend to bottle things up. It can be hard to talk to others about ourselves. To reach out and speak up when we need to.

Misconceptions, stigma, poor access, isolation, not having anyone we feel we can turn to and not wanting to ‘bother anyone’ can make it harder for us to reach out and speak up.

A blokes gathering seeks to change this.

It usually starts with some form of ice breaker activity, like Human Bingo, to get to know each other and have a bit of a laugh. It’s a fun way to kick off the evening and to get to know some blokes. It also gets everyone talking.

Then we sit down in a Men’s Circle. It’s ok, there are chairs. You don’t have to sit on the ground. The simple reason we sit in a circle is so everyone can see each other.

A Men’s Circle is a supportive place for blokes to talk about life and the experience of being a bloke; challenges they may be facing, what’s been going on for them, how they’ve been feeling.

The Strong Blokes Gathering is an ‘open circle’. This just means there isn’t a pre-determined topic of discussion. We go with whatever comes up for the blokes in the circe. I’ll usually kick things off with a check in, a question or I’ll throw it open to the circle to come up with something they want to talk about.

Blokes from all walks of life. Businessmen, business owners, tradies, public servants, first responders, students, retirees, artists, athletes…. it really is all kinds of blokes.

There is usually a common approach to life that is embodied by the men you’ll find at a blokes gathering. They are blokes who are keen to learn and grow. They naturally want to contribute positively to others lives. They are at a point in their lives where they desire change and growth.

In general, men’s groups have been studied a great deal and the results are always the same. In summary, peer support groups help people grow faster and experience more wellbeing.

Across the board it seems like blokes gatherings lead to,
• Feeling Happier: people just feel better when they have the opportunity to talk through things.
• Saving time & energy: the fastest way to progress is to ask someone who’s already done it. The slowest? Going it alone.
• Taking the weight off your shoulders: vent in a safe space so that you don’t explode elsewhere.
• More success: you will become more successful when other blokes have your back to guide you and offer advice.
• Being a better parent and partner: it’s not just you that benefits from a blokes gathering!
• Life-long friendships: these blokes will have your back. Friendships happen naturally.
• Motivation: being around other blokes who are inspired to grow and are doing it is super motivating.
• More emotional intelligence: learn more about your emotions and how to work better with them.
• Meaning: being there for your blokes gathering mates just feels good!

We do have some basic ground rules when sitting in the Circle. The ‘Rules of the Stick’
1. We have a talking stick. He who has the stick is he who can talk. So one bloke talks at a time (unless I, as the facilitator, have to interject for some reason).
2. Everything discussed is confidential. It doesn’t leave the group.
3. Unless someone specifically asks for advice, we don’t give it. It’s not Counselling or Therapy.
4. You don’t have to talk. You can simply sit, listen and soak it all in.