International Men’s Day 2024
The 2025 IMD event is Sunday 16 November, get your tickets here
Ka pai nga tāne! Happy International Men’s Day and well done brothers!
55+ brothers came together on a sunny summer’s day for the first ever celebration gathering in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Covering 50 years of age and multi generations there was a real aliveness in the room! We gathered, we shared our hearts, we danced, we added a rung to this basket of belonging and we had heaps of laughs. Thank you for making it such a memorable time
A huge and special thank you to the facilitators who stepped forward to co-create this celebration: Jake Kīanō Skinner (ThetaSoundscapes by Jake), Moka Te Wake (Mr Moka Breathflow), John van Huenen, Uli Frank, Jonny Bear, David Juno, Daniel Mezacasa. Another big thank you to Bacon Brothers for the continued support of men’s mental health in Ōtautahi. Absolute legends all of you, thank you for offering yourself to this community!
The heart was in the air, the raw honesty spread across eyes and, there was a noticeable sigh of relief from being in the arms of brotherhood. There’s just something unmatchable to standing amongst heart centred men, present and open. We acknowledged the past, tended to the present and offered blessings to the future in our work.
And this is just one step. There is much to do and our community needs us. Tending our own inner garden is simply the necessary starting point. Next year we aim to create at least one new mens group to continue this work. If you’d like to join or at least get more info to see if it suits you, DM me with your details!
Stay in touch! Follow along with more men’s work on my Facebook page @bearheartnz, or join the email newsletter to hear about future men’s work gatherings here: https://subscribepage.io/menswork
Shout out to the bro Kai Jonathan Lee for capturing some special moments of the day. Love your work bro!
Arohanui brothers
Bear, John and Mo
What is International Men’s Day anyway?
International Men’s Day (IMD) is a day of bringing awareness to the unique ways men suffer in the world, including mental health challenges, loneliness, identity ambiguity, abuse and suicide. Additionally, it’s a day of celebrating all the ways men offer value to the world. This is a space of meaningful connection, honest conversation, and intentional growth.
The 6 Pillars listed on the website of International Men’s Day does a great job of outlining our shared aims:
To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sports men but every day, working class men who are living decent, honest lives.
To celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the environment.
To focus on men’s health and wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual.
To highlight discrimination against men; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law
To improve gender relations and promote gender equality
To create a safer, better world; where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential..
When is International Men’s Day?
International Men’s Day is recognised on 19 November every year.
Here in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand we celebrate it on the Sunday closest to the day. In 2025, that’s 16 November in Mt Pleasant. You can join us for the next one by following this link: https://bearheart.nz/international-mens-day-25