Are middle-aged men not interested in looking after their own mental health, or are we simply not offering them the right things in the right way? ...  If you work in the Republic of Ireland, are curious about the answer to this question, and would like to explore practical strategies to help your organisation to engage more effectively with middle-aged men, then you might be interested in a free one day workshop on ‘Men in the Middle’ - engaging middle-aged men in mental health and wellbeing.  This workshop has been developed by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), and is a new Unit within the highly successful and long-running ‘Engage’ National Men’s Health Training Programme.  MHFI is currently looking for groups who would like to host this free workshop for their staff / volunteers / activists.  For more details, see: https://www.mhfi.org/EngageUnit7Workshop.pdf

In December 2019, the Department of Health in the Republic of Ireland published the 12th edition of 'Health in Ireland'.  The 2019 edition of ‘Health in Ireland: Key Trends’ provides summary statistics on health and health care over the past ten years.  It highlights selected trends and topics, and includes data from newly available sources.  There are also several tables and graphs comparing Ireland with other countries in the EU or the OECD - to provide context for national performance and to assess progress. The booklet is divided into seven chapters, covering topics from population growth, life expectancy and health status, to profiles of the new regional health areas.  A copy can be downloaded from: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f1bb64-health-in-ireland-key-trends-2019

The Sports Students as Mentors for Boys and Young Men (SSaMs) project aims to improve boys' and young men’s educational attainment and prevent early school leaving via an innovative approach which mixes gender-sensitive mentoring and sports.  The project recently launched a range of resources for both students and those who train them.  These can be accessed at: https://sportsmentors.eu/resources

You are invited to apply for a place on a free event titled: 'Domestic Violence and Abuse - What About Men?'  This will take place on Tuesday 24th March, from 1.30pm to 3.00pm, in Training Room 2, Downshire Hospital, Ardglass Road, Downpatrick.  It will explore: the nature and extent of domestic abuse perpetrated against men; types, indicators and impact of abuse; barriers to seeking help; and services available to male victims.  This event is open to anyone working in the statutory, voluntary or community sectors.  To book a place, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Existing research confirms that in professional settings - including maternity, child and family support services - negative assumptions about young fathers are pervasive and translate into practices of surveillance or side-lining by practitioners (Neale & Davies, 2015).  Such practices exclude them from dominant expectations of ‘engaged fatherhood’ (Miller, 2011); despite the proven societal and wide-ranging benefits of men’s involvement in caregiving for children, mothers and fathers.  ‘Following Young Fathers Further’ is a four-year qualitative longitudinal study which explores the parenting trajectories and support needs of young fathers (aged 25 and under).  Find out more at: https://fyff.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland recently published 'Health Survey (NI): First Results 2018/19'.  This survey runs on an annual basis, and covers a range of health topics that are important to the lives of people in Northern Ireland.  The fieldwork was conducted from April 2018 to March 2019, and data were collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) and, where appropriate, Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (CASI), from those aged 16 and over in private households.  3,593 interviews were conducted.  A copy of the report can be downloaded at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/hsni-first-results-18-19_1.pdf

Every day in Ireland, 13 people die from a cardiac arrest.  If your work colleague, family member or friend suddenly collapsed, would you know what to do?  The Irish Heart Foundation is on a mission to train a nation of life savers and, through their Hands for Life programme, is offering free CPR training in communities and workplaces across Ireland for adults aged 18 years and over.  Find out more at: https://irishheart.ie/courses/hands-for-life

A very original and creative health initiative took place in Hydebank Wood Secure College and Women’s Prison last year that was co-designed and produced with people who live in custody.  As a result, it was decided to create a comic book that addresses health and wellbeing issues in prison.  A multi-disciplinary Steering Group was set up, involving people who work and live in secure establishments.  It was agreed that the first edition would focus on addiction - as this is a major issue in these settings.  A series of workshops was arranged with staff and service users to brainstorm ideas, artwork and story boards for the comic.  Crucial to this, was the involvement of a person who had previous lived experience of prison and is a volunteer artist for the Prison Arts Foundation.  Those in custody took the lead on character development, storytelling, artwork and, most importantly, relevant language.  The comic book focuses on the character ‘Diaze - Man’ who is addicted to prescription medication and his fight with his drug enemies - the Zolpidem Zombie King, Budzilla, Opioid Ogre and others.  He gets help from people who work in prison to overcome his enemies, and turns into ‘Mentor Man’, who is able to help others.  The comic was launched in November 2019, and work on the second edition begins in April 2020.  It also won the Public Health Agency’s Involve Fest Chairman’s Award 2019/20 for Best Community and Voluntary Initiative.  View a copy of it at: https://www.mhfi.org/BizInPris.pdf