one two three you’re dead
one two
free
you’re dead three out of four suicides
are carried out by men
matter of fact suicide is the highest
killer of men under the age of 35
mental health can affect any and
everyone regardless of age gender or
social class despite this mental health
affects men and women differently this
interesting to know that over women are
more commonly diagnosed with mental
health issues the rates of suicide is
significantly higher in men so what does
this suggest perhaps men don’t find
themselves in the environments that
allow them to open up perhaps men find
it difficult to talk about the issues
that they struggle with or maybe simply
poor men are afraid to open up my name
is cotton Safa and today I want to talk
to you about an ongoing issue an issue
that is crippling our society today the
elephant in the room that no one wants
to talk about I am talking about the
stigma surrounding masculinity and it’s
linked to mental health you see in 2016
I was the president of the African
Caribbean Society and part of my role
our starts with the creation of a play
for our forgot a trademark event after
many rewrites and screen practices the
play finally hit the stage the story
spoke of the journey of a young man
through the UK’s mental health
institution the journey of a young man
going from Nigeria to join his single
parents mother and sister in the UK
spoke of how he tried to replace the
position of his absent father
his family wasn’t picture-perfect it was
worth the picture still the story told
the journey of hard and tough decisions
that he had to make tough decisions that
could have been avoided if he had just
opened up you see this story is common
in society today taking different forms
but the skeleton remains the same why
why are men so reluctant to talk about
the struggles that they go through why
are they afraid to discuss the issues
that trouble them because it is human to
struggle and the last time I checked men
are human today I want to shine a light
in the dark abyss I want to turn your
attention to the stigma surrounding
masculinity
you see oxford dictionary defines
masculinity as the qualities
characteristic of a man
these include handsome muscular driven
society views man to be a breadwinner a
provider a passive individual someone
who doesn’t show emotion or cry so what
happens when we show something outside
of this law you see don’t get me wrong
some of these traits and qualities of
personal societal benefit but the issue
comes when friends family our loved ones
require us to uphold these qualities and
traits 24/7 365 days in the year that’s
so why are men reluctant to open up
today I want to tell you that it’s
because of the consequences they face
when they do you don’t believe me all
right let’s take two scenarios
so now wrong on let’s say you walking
down exhibition Road just outside
Imperial College London you see a young
woman crying her faces full of tears
she’s clearly unhappy you probably feel
sorry for a majority of you would
probably go out of your way to lend a
helping hand now let’s take the same
scenario but instead of a young woman we
have a young man he’s also crying
showing the same level of unhappiness
what are some of the words you used to
describe him girly weak cry-baby some of
you may even laugh some of you may even
find the situation awkward
some of you may even think less of him
as a man you see this response that
feels somewhat innate yeah that’s
because the traditional idea of what it
means to be a man has been engraved on
our minds and so we fault
anyone who falls short of this so when a
guy doesn’t act like her guy maybe he’s
a bit needy
maybe he lacks in confidence maybe he
has low self-esteem we deemed such an
individual as less of a man the guys
would say he’s just a weakling whilst
the girls would say he’s just not my
type
it’s the consequences of these remarks a
resource in a reluctancy of such men to
open up a reluctancy to talk
the issues that go on in their lives
this leads the bottling of the emotions
and sometimes the button of the emotions
literally buy a bottle hidden emotions
may be expressed in different ways
perhaps anger alcohol abuse and worse
yet suicide men in this room dealing
with depression we need to open up men
in this room Dean of depression we need
to speak up perhaps you don’t want to
talk to anyone that you know there are
organizations out there for you
Samaritans mind like flying men you are
loud to be dependent on someone men you
are loud to feel lonely men you are loud
to not be okay and men you’re sure as
hell allowed to cry we need to create an
environment that allows men to open up
about their feelings without the fear of
the consequences we need to stop
sculpting men into robots program for
the sole purpose of providing and fixing
you see these things are okay when men
are allowed to be other parts of
themselves that doesn’t fit in with
society tools view of what it means to
be a man today you can make that
difference and it can start today I want
you all to rise up with me today I want
you all to rise up with me today and I
want you to take your right hand and
place on your heart and I want you to
say this pledge after me without
hesitation without hesitation I pledge
to provide a platform for those to open
up and when I can’t the least I can do
is ask are you okay
you may be seated we all have a duty to
look after one another and it can start
by simply arson are you okay
1 2 3 your life
1 2 3
your life thank you [Applause]
one two
free
you’re dead three out of four suicides
are carried out by men
matter of fact suicide is the highest
killer of men under the age of 35
mental health can affect any and
everyone regardless of age gender or
social class despite this mental health
affects men and women differently this
interesting to know that over women are
more commonly diagnosed with mental
health issues the rates of suicide is
significantly higher in men so what does
this suggest perhaps men don’t find
themselves in the environments that
allow them to open up perhaps men find
it difficult to talk about the issues
that they struggle with or maybe simply
poor men are afraid to open up my name
is cotton Safa and today I want to talk
to you about an ongoing issue an issue
that is crippling our society today the
elephant in the room that no one wants
to talk about I am talking about the
stigma surrounding masculinity and it’s
linked to mental health you see in 2016
I was the president of the African
Caribbean Society and part of my role
our starts with the creation of a play
for our forgot a trademark event after
many rewrites and screen practices the
play finally hit the stage the story
spoke of the journey of a young man
through the UK’s mental health
institution the journey of a young man
going from Nigeria to join his single
parents mother and sister in the UK
spoke of how he tried to replace the
position of his absent father
his family wasn’t picture-perfect it was
worth the picture still the story told
the journey of hard and tough decisions
that he had to make tough decisions that
could have been avoided if he had just
opened up you see this story is common
in society today taking different forms
but the skeleton remains the same why
why are men so reluctant to talk about
the struggles that they go through why
are they afraid to discuss the issues
that trouble them because it is human to
struggle and the last time I checked men
are human today I want to shine a light
in the dark abyss I want to turn your
attention to the stigma surrounding
masculinity
you see oxford dictionary defines
masculinity as the qualities
characteristic of a man
these include handsome muscular driven
society views man to be a breadwinner a
provider a passive individual someone
who doesn’t show emotion or cry so what
happens when we show something outside
of this law you see don’t get me wrong
some of these traits and qualities of
personal societal benefit but the issue
comes when friends family our loved ones
require us to uphold these qualities and
traits 24/7 365 days in the year that’s
so why are men reluctant to open up
today I want to tell you that it’s
because of the consequences they face
when they do you don’t believe me all
right let’s take two scenarios
so now wrong on let’s say you walking
down exhibition Road just outside
Imperial College London you see a young
woman crying her faces full of tears
she’s clearly unhappy you probably feel
sorry for a majority of you would
probably go out of your way to lend a
helping hand now let’s take the same
scenario but instead of a young woman we
have a young man he’s also crying
showing the same level of unhappiness
what are some of the words you used to
describe him girly weak cry-baby some of
you may even laugh some of you may even
find the situation awkward
some of you may even think less of him
as a man you see this response that
feels somewhat innate yeah that’s
because the traditional idea of what it
means to be a man has been engraved on
our minds and so we fault
anyone who falls short of this so when a
guy doesn’t act like her guy maybe he’s
a bit needy
maybe he lacks in confidence maybe he
has low self-esteem we deemed such an
individual as less of a man the guys
would say he’s just a weakling whilst
the girls would say he’s just not my
type
it’s the consequences of these remarks a
resource in a reluctancy of such men to
open up a reluctancy to talk
the issues that go on in their lives
this leads the bottling of the emotions
and sometimes the button of the emotions
literally buy a bottle hidden emotions
may be expressed in different ways
perhaps anger alcohol abuse and worse
yet suicide men in this room dealing
with depression we need to open up men
in this room Dean of depression we need
to speak up perhaps you don’t want to
talk to anyone that you know there are
organizations out there for you
Samaritans mind like flying men you are
loud to be dependent on someone men you
are loud to feel lonely men you are loud
to not be okay and men you’re sure as
hell allowed to cry we need to create an
environment that allows men to open up
about their feelings without the fear of
the consequences we need to stop
sculpting men into robots program for
the sole purpose of providing and fixing
you see these things are okay when men
are allowed to be other parts of
themselves that doesn’t fit in with
society tools view of what it means to
be a man today you can make that
difference and it can start today I want
you all to rise up with me today I want
you all to rise up with me today and I
want you to take your right hand and
place on your heart and I want you to
say this pledge after me without
hesitation without hesitation I pledge
to provide a platform for those to open
up and when I can’t the least I can do
is ask are you okay
you may be seated we all have a duty to
look after one another and it can start
by simply arson are you okay
1 2 3 your life
1 2 3
your life thank you [Applause]
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