Why community?
The short answer is: because we need each other.
Social isolation and loneliness are massive problems. Far too many men and boys feel like they can’t be themselves and they have few, or worse, no friends they can turn to.
They feel a pressure to conform to narrow and restrictive ideas of manhood: provide, protect, compete, achieve, don’t get mad, get even, accept every challenge, don’t back down, keep grinding no matter the cost.
But what is the cost?
55% of men feel lonely.
Two-thirds of American men feel like no one really knows them.
One in five men struggle with mental health, but far fewer seek help.
Most men report wanting healthy, fulfilling relationships with partners, their kids, friends, and family, but feel they’re unsure how to have those kinds of relationships.
One in six boys in Canada will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. Far too few will feel like they can talk about it or seek help—in part because of homophobia, and expectations that as a male, they should have been able to stop it.
Three out of every four suicides are completed by men and boys.
The expectation of violence—that we will need to inflict it, experience it, and accept it—is normalized for boys and men. But why?
Who says it needs to be this way?
We say it doesn’t. And many men agree.
In 2024, a majority of men said they do not agree with imposing restrictive ‘rules’ around masculinity.
The Alberta Men’s Survey found that 96% of the 2000+ men surveyed agreed that men do need support and services for well-being and healthy relationships. 66% of these men said they would turn to peers for support, 54% said they’d seek formal counselling, and 41% said they would benefit from skill-building workshops.
All of those supports exist.
We’re here for you, no matter where you’re at.
Keep learning.
Our focus is to support men, boys, masculine folks, and the people who love them in transforming the status quo. Our vision is a world where men and boys feel less pain and cause less harm. Let these blogs jumpstart your learning.
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