Man Up YYC shows support during Movember
By Enobong Ukpong, November 28 2022—
November marks the start of Movember — an international campaign where men grow out their facial hair to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer and male suicide.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Man Up YYC members Punit Bhatt and Amanda McConnachie discuss the particular challenges men face on campus today.
“Man Up is a club on campus that aims to reduce some stigma around men’s mental health specifically,” said Bhatt, co-president of Man Up. “What we see in statistics is that in Canada alone, 75 per cent of all people who die by suicide are men. It is not well talked about. Men’s mental health is often a subject that is extremely taboo in our culture.”
“Our name is ‘Man Up,’ but we want to change the meaning of ‘manning up’ to being able to have the conversation, rather than the old traditional meaning of being tough,” said McConnachie, vice-president of marketing for Man Up.
Campaigns like Movember allow people to fund social and public health services that increase awareness and access to health resources, such as prostate exams.
“I want to emphasize that it’s not just mental health that Movember covers, but all men’s health, in general, is important,” said McConnachie.
Man Up aims to reduce the stigma around men’s health through public events that reach out to the campus community and promote conversation. One of those events is Lift Off.
“We set up a bunch of bench press stations for people to lift weights,” said Bhatt. “And essentially, the idea behind it is ‘lifting off’ the stigma behind mental health.”
The goal will be to lift a total of three million pounds between everyone who attends. The event is taking place from November 30 to December 1.
“Our goal is that if we can build these safe practices and these healthy behaviours, it’s something that people can carry forward, not only just as students on campus, but also in their peer group, in their social group and throughout their careers,” said Bhatt.
To learn more about Man Up YYC, visit their website. For updates on their Lift Off event, visit their Facebook page @ManUpMentalHealth.