The Men's Health and Wellbeing Association NSW is holding a national men’s gathering in Katoomba next month.
As a not-for-profit community organisation based in Sydney, they are “dedicated to building communities of good men supporting their wellbeing and evolving healthier models of manhood in Australia”.
“Everyone knows that men and boys are in trouble,” said one of the event’s organisers David Williams.
“Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys and The New Manhood asserts that, boys lag far behind girls in early academic achievement, and are more likely to be diagnosed with behaviour disorders.
“And men are more likely to binge drink, more likely to commit crimes, twice as likely to end up being the perpetrators of family violence, three times as likely to be killed in accidents, three times as likely to have gambling problems and five times as likely to suicide.”
David Williams adds, “About one in four Australian men are habitually medicating. Alcohol addiction is rife and taking some type of psychiatric drug, on a long-term basis, is indicative of the hopelessness generally felt. Men have surrendered to mind-numbing intervention and mass distraction.”
Mr Williams said the Sydney National Men’s Gathering, with a theme of ‘Becoming’ is planned for the Queen’s Birthday long-weekend from June 8th to 11th to help men “wake up to our full potential … and to seek a more wholesome masculinity”.
He said the gatherings “present a unique opportunity for men to discover deeper aspects of themselves, where together they can explore the important issues in their lives, in safety and in confidence ... this leads to higher levels of emotional intelligence, better relationships and, perhaps most importantly, a more solid sense of purpose”.
“We men need to step up – not just for ourselves - the boys coming through, desperately need better role-models. We need to ‘wake’ up.”
The event is on at the Katoomba Conference Centre.
More information and bookings can be made at http://www.nswmen.org.au/mens-gathering.