The Canterbury Mens’ Centre Annual Report 2011 (PDF, 389KB) is available.

Excerpt from the Chairman’s Report:

Here we are already in our third year of operation and despite the disruptions to all our lives with the events of September and February our management team has put in a sterling effort to keep the Men’s Centre up and running with minimal disruption to the services we provide.
After being made ‘homeless’ through the loss of our office at Community House our staff have creatively found ways & means to continue our work of being of service to men and their families in the Canterbury Region. This creativity has included working from home, using the internet and mail outs to achieve the tasks that need to be done as well as getting out and about in the community.
The Board of Trustees have in between meetings at a Board Members home managed matters such as the passing of resolutions electronically. So despite these practical disruptions to the way we work there have still been some outstanding achievements over the past 12 months. These accomplishments are detailed in the Managers Report and include:

• Drop in referral / support for men
• Support for men and boys in the broader social spectrum
• Informing Health and Social Agencies about the specific needs of men & boys
• Support for other Social Services

Dennis Valentine Chairman, Canterbury Men’s Centre

Read more… (PDF, 389KB).

The east side of Christchurch has taken some hard blows this past earthquake season and the Canterbury Men’s Centre recognised a community need to talk about rebuilding our homes. With this in mind we are partnering with MensLine (http://mensline.net.nz/ ) to run a fortnightly group.

Want to learn from others what they are doing about insurance payouts? Who people are using for repairs? What should you be doing to make the most of the situation? And mostly, how to keep sane while the process is going on?

More info on this flyer Munted Mates final or call Donald Pettitt at 021 02502631 for more details.

Where: St Faiths Church Hall, Hawke St., New Brighton, St Faiths Hall

Sara Crane has some useful tips for parents who are struggling to know what to do with their children following the recent quake.

The staff of the Canterbury Men’s Centre were out of the office at 141 Hereford Street when the 22 February aftershock struck. We are all safe.

Our office is inside the Christchurch CDB cordon and are unable to provide a full service until we gain access. We think that might be mid to late March. We are available by telephone – ring our Office number or Donald on his cellphone.
Office: 03 940 9487
Donald’s Cellphone: 021 02502631

Our deep concern goes to you all, especially to those who have lost loved ones. Look after yourselves and each other – let people know if you need help.

Water Safety New Zealand does a breakdown of the 2010 stats. In short, declining death rate, predominantly male.

August 21 – 23, 2011 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

This conference will showcase the growth and spread of men’s sheds throughout Australia and the world highlighting the importance of sheds and the contribution sheds make to men and their communities.

More information or ring 02 9954 4400.

On April 6, 2010, the Foundation for Male Studies is having their Second Annual Conference on Male Studies, Looking Forward to Solutions. This global web-broadcast conference will gather scholars representing a wide range of academic disciplines including anthropology, education, history, medicine, politics and psychology – and have them present captivating findings at the New York Academy of Medicine. The current condition of males as well as real-time solutions will be laid out to a live audience in over 10 countries.

Moderated by Guy Garcia, an award-winning journalist, novelist and multimedia entrepreneur, and author of The Decline of Men: How the American Male is Tuning Out, Giving Up, and Flipping Off His Future, this conference promises to capture the interest of many professionals including professors, students, physicians, psychologists, politicians, health care specialists, authors and education.

Peter Dunne of United Future argues we need to support fathers to be more involved following family separation if we want to reduce child abuse and neglect in New Zealand.

Prescription is keen to support men in the Canterbury area to use physical exercise as a means to address mental and physical health issues. If you know any men who want to get more involved in exercise see http://www.sportcanterbury.org.nz/content/e2smarty_category/1/68/49/

What is Green Prescription (GRx) Read the rest of this entry »