This November we’ll be supporting Men’s Mental Health Month – created by Mental Health Foundation and inspired by the work of Movember on men’s mental health and suicide prevention. We’ll be sharing information, resources, and inspiring stories relating to men’s mental health. We feel it’s important to highlight men’s mental health so we can reduce to the stigma associated with being open about mental health and support men on their journey towards improving their wellbeing.
Not only does our mental health impact our daily life, but it can act as a barrier to reaching our full potential. Venture Trust work with men to equip them with the tools to improve their mental health; working with men involved in criminal justice, men with experience of homelessness, long-term unemployment, substance use issues, and ex-service men.
79% of men we have worked with over the last year identified as having poor mental health
This statistic of Venture Trust participants highlights the importance of supporting men on their journey towards improved mental health. Wider statistics reflect this need.
- 3 times as many men as women die by suicide.
- Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women according to the Government’s national wellbeing survey.
- Men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women: only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men.
- Men are far more likely than women to go missing, sleep rough, and become dependent on frequent substance use.
Source: Mental Health Foundation
“Getting out in nature and reconnecting with my roots really helps me. Working with Venture Trust has helped me see my self-worth” C.K
Venture Trust believe a meaningful connection with nature and time spent outdoors can support our mental health and overall wellbeing. Working with men in local green spaces and the wilderness, we support them to recognise the positive relationship between nature and mental health.
“The scenery in the outdoors helped be to think and be honest with myself. It got me to ask myself what I really wanted from life. I started to think about how I wanted to be a better person. I call it ‘recovery with nature’. I went through every emotion on the wilderness journey. I laughed and I even had a cry which I hadn’t done in a long time. That felt like a big release.” Laurence
Research from the Mental Health Foundation further supports the positive impact nature can have on wellbeing.
- Almost 2/3 of adult men in the UK say that since the pandemic, connecting with nature has been important for managing their mental health
- 2/3 adult men say that ‘being close to nature improves my mood’
- Almost 1/10 adult men say that note feeling ‘safe/free from harm’ has prevented them from connecting with nature the way they would like
Click the links below for some of our resources available:
Learn about our outdoor therapy service for young men and veterans.
Learn about our personal development programmes for young men.
Learn about our personal development programmes for men with involvement in criminal justice, experience of homelessness, substance use issues and long term unemployment.
Learn about our programmes for ex-service men.
