Posts in Reflections
Mason’s Body Image Story
Mason’s Body Image Story

On Wednesday night at the launch party for Wolf Pack in Calgary, we invited Mason to share his very personal story about body image, gender, and masculinity. Mason works with the Calgary Sexual Health Centre’s WiseGuyz program, and if you know our origin story, we count WiseGuyz as one of our biggest inspirations and strongest supporters. It is very exciting to know that Mason has the opportunity to share his experiences with the young men who are a part of WiseGuyz. 

Here is Mason’s body image story, in full. 

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ReflectionsNext Gen Men AdminBody Image, Mental Health, Masculinity
After School Updates: The Masks We Live In
After School Updates: The Masks We Live In

For many young men, we don’t get to a place where we are truly comfortable with ourselves until maybe our late 20s, or even later. And some of us never ever get to that place! Instead, we wake up every morning and put on a ‘mask’ that helps us navigate the world and helps us control how other people view us. For many of the children and youth I’ve worked with, the feelings behind their masks are fear, sadness, and anger. And when when we are not able to or not allowed to let down our mask, those emotions never get addressed and we get boxed in.

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ReflectionsNext Gen Men AdminMasculinity, NGM Youth Program
Mental Health First Aid and Men’s Mental Health
Mental Health First Aid and Men’s Mental Health

There’s a good chance that you completed a First Aid course when you were younger, maybe for a lifeguarding or babysitting job. I remember CPR practice on dummies, Heimlich manuever demos, and learning about heat stroke and hypothermia and burns and broken bones. With so many people trained in First Aid at some point in their life, there’s usually at least one person who is quick to offer their help when someone is choking or looks like they are having a heart attack.

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ReflectionsNext Gen Men AdminMental Health
How Will You #CheckYourBoys?
How Will You #CheckYourBoys?

We’ve really been loving SoulPancake‘s ‘That’s What He Said’ series, which now has four episodes up on YouTube. The premise is very simple: get a group of 10 guys together to talk about issues like self-esteem and body image, dating and relationships, and gender equality. They’re definitely aligned with Next Gen Men’s mission to unpack society’s narrow ideas about masculinity, but I think what I really appreciate about the discussions is the honesty with which these guys are reflecting on and sharing their stories publicly.

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ReflectionsNext Gen Men AdminMasculinity, NGM Youth Program
Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence

One of the most challenging, but worthwhile, events I attended for International Women’s Day in Toronto, was the screening of Private Violence, a documentary on domestic violence in America. As I mentioned to one of the panelists after, it was a heavy topic even just to watch a documentary about, and I came away with the utmost respect for the individuals and organizations who provide advocacy and supportive services in this field, not to mention the many women who have experienced and continue to experience domestic violence firsthand.

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ReflectionsNext Gen Men AdminMasculinity