SASP launch men’s mental health & wellbeing project
Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) have partnered with Open Mental Health to increase mental health awareness and access to wellbeing support for men in Somerset though the Unbreakable Men project.
Unbreakable Men aims to raise awareness around Men’s Mental Health in Somerset and actively encourage Men to take ownership over their wellbeing, whilst positively impacting their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity. This is done in a simple and practical way with both online and through face-to-face physical activities.
The project will return for public access in the county, both with an online and in-person presence. Unbreakable Men will be accessible via the SASP website, hosting an array of support, resources and networks for men of all ages 18+. There will be three main access points to the project via the website, which consist of an MOT Quiz, Facebook Community Group, and sign-up form to join the project through in-person sessions.
Unbreakable Men believe that consistently checking in on our mental health with a ‘Mental Health MOT Quiz‘ is just as important as any yearly MOT you would get to maintain the safety of your vehicle. The Unbreakable Men MOT Quiz aims to encourage men to be proactive about checking in with their current mental wellbeing, by answering a series of point-based questions which result in a score indicator of where they may benefit from some mental health support. The scores are broken down into 4x segments, and explained in detail by Gareth John, Sammy Wright and Aden Watkins, The Unbreakable Men team through an informative video also hosted on the website. Suggested support based on the final score will re-direct those to either joining the Facebook Group, signing up to the project or access to a support directory of urgent clinical support.
The Unbreakable Men Facebook Group has been set up alongside the project, to provide a safe support network of men up and down the county that may be looking to join Unbreakable Men, are currently attending sessions, or simply want to find out more. Men are encouraged to join the community and will be able to join discussions, ask questions to the team, hear from others shared experience and watch Facebook Lives of sessions hosted by the Unbreakable Men team.
So far, the Unbreakable Men team have already hosted some weekly face-to-face sessions in Bridgwater. These in-person sessions are an important element of the project, and have already provided men with a safe space to talk about their mental health, take proactive steps and engage in physical activity that enables connection with others. We know that physical activity can significantly increase our mental health and wellbeing, and with regular physical activity, it can make a consistent difference to those that may need support. Unbreakable Men aims to make this positive change and encourage men to be proactive with their mental health in the future, using the tools they will have gained from being part of the project.
Visit Unbreakable Men: www.sasp.co.uk/unbreakable-men