Modern Barbarians Men’s Group are preparing to hold a free Bacon and Barbershop Men’s Breakfast at the AMPSS 101 building in Church St on Saturday, 9am-noon, to raise awareness for men’s mental health.
Facilitator Alyn Peeti said the idea for the breakfast had been in the works for the last couple of months.
"I wanted to put it into action and give guys the opportunity to come down get a free sandwich and have a haircut because having a feed and a haircut just makes you feel better.
"This is the first event of its kind for us and we’re just looking for some new guys to come along, see what we’re all about and just promote the group and men’s mental health.
"We’re really looking forward to it."
The hardest thing as men was being able to reach out and ask for a bit of help, he said.
"That's what we stand for here, part of our value system is normalising reaching out. We meet two nights a week and we cover off being able to share coping mechanisms through mental health issues and just have general yarns with the boys.
"It's building that camaraderie between the guys and providing a support network for everyone. Mental health is a complex issue and to be able to provide a space for the guys to feel safe in and not feel judged is crucially important.
"The changes a lot of these guys have made since we’ve all been in this group are evident. Learning how to be better partners, better husbands, better fathers and just overall better men, becoming that best version of ourselves is the ultimate goal."
The hardest part of the journey for a lot of men was making the decision to just walk through the door and have those chats, Mr Peeti said.
"A lot of the time guys see a men’s group and they’re like, ‘oh, what is that? Is there some sort of religious connotation that’s attached to it or something like that? Are we singing Kumbaya?’ But no, that’s not the case.
"They’ll turn up and they see just what it is and what we actually do here."
Member Malcolm Blackmun said it was sometimes case of sucking it up and admitting you needed help.
"Whether it’s just talking or just accepting that it’s OK not to be OK. You’ve just got to come in and ask for that help.
"It’s really important because there’s nowhere really out there for guys to go and talk without being judged or someone saying to just harden up, because that’s not always the case."
Member Michael Pakeha said anyone who stepped through the door was welcome.
"We all come from different walks of life but we all come together, and we can all sit at the table.
"But if you’re a stranger, you don’t know any of us, it’s going to be the hardest thing to walk into a room not knowing anyone and and some of the brothers here have done that. But as soon as you sit down, you’re part of the bros."
The group hold meetings on Monday and Thursday each week at AMPSS 101, 7.30pm-9.30pm, and any working age men are welcome to attend.
