What is International Men’s Day?
International Men’s Day (IMD) is celebrated throughout the world on 19 November. It began in 1991-2 in Kansas, America, as a way to thank men of all ages for their contributions to society, to respect and celebrate men and boys, and to raise positive awareness of serious issues.
Today, IMD invites everyone to come together and celebrate men and boys in all their diversity, with celebrations being held in over 60 countries. IMD in the UK is overseen by the Men and Boys Coalition, a representative group of 100+ charities, academics and professionals in the field of men and boys’ wellbeing.
While focusing on men and boys, IMD takes a gender inclusive approach, encouraging women and girls to participate (without creating competition around the wellbeing challenges that they also face), and recognising the intersection between gender and other factors (such as race and sexuality) which can intensify the inequalities affecting men and boys.
Why is International Men’s Day important?
We’re working hard to encourage more women into careers in STEM, but today men still account for 73% of the UK’s manufacturing sector workforce1. This means that the issues and challenges facing men have a particularly significant impact on the MTC Training community, so it’s important that we recognise and celebrate IMD in the training centre.
IMD activities are centred on three broad themes:
- Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys
- Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing
- Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity
These core themes help to address some of the issues that affect men and boys, which include the high male suicide rate, men’s health, and the challenges faced by boys and men in education and work, such as attainment, redundancy and unemployment.
You can find out more about International Men’s day in the UK here as well as learning about the global campaign here.
What are we doing to celebrate International Men’s Day at MTC Training?
This year, we’ll be marking IMD at MTC Training by hosting a health talk from Mind for our learners and training colleagues. We’ll also be raising awareness and sharing information about men’s health and wellbeing, and signposting support and useful resources to make sure everyone knows how to access help when they need it.
[1] Office for National Statistics (ONS): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/employmentbyindustryemp13