Mandem Meetup, a judgement-free talking circle which hosts weekly sessions at The Village Hall at Great Northern Warehouse, is launching. series of poetry workshops to help battle the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.
Poetic Hooligans is a series of workshops encouraging men to talk about their struggles, allowing participants to express themselves in an artistic way.
The monthly workshop welcomes men of all creative abilities to write poems, songs and chants.
Led by Manchester-based rapper and social justice activist, Magic EKJ, Poetic Hooligans, which hosts its first session on Fri 17 Feb, was created to help men across Greater Manchester vocalise personal struggles, learn about themselves, whilst improving their mental health and helping others.
Created by a group of men, who are passionate about removing the stigma surrounding men’s mental health, Mandem Meetup’s mission is to build judgement-free spaces across the city, for anyone who associates as male, to open up and share what’s going on in their lives within a safe and relaxed environment.
Ben Rutter, Operations Director at Mandem Meetup, said: “As a nation, we’ve come a long way in understanding and supporting mental health, yet men are still treated differently.
“They’re expected to act tough and refrain from opening up to the people close to them, which we completely disagree with.
“We care about our fellow brothers, our mandem, we want them to know that there’s always a safe space for them to share their feelings.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health, and we want to raise awareness for this across Greater Manchester.”
The Mandem Meetup Deansgate Talking Circle is hosted every second Tuesday from 18:00, the next session is Tue 7 Feb.
The next Poetic Hooligans workshop will take place on Fri 17 Feb at 7pm-9pm. For future dates keep an eye on their Insta.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Fri 17 Feb 2023
