24 months of The Men’s Table and hundreds of stories
Posted on
The Men’s Table is a fast-growing, community-building and men’s mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention initiative with positive ripples into families and communities.
At each Men’s Table, a group of a dozen local men meet once a month over a cheap meal in a private room, to listen, talk, and share about the highs and lows of their lives and how they are really feeling – and it’s amazing to reflect on the journey since The Men’s Table first launched in Canberra in 2022.
Tables are established upon a simple structure and sustained through the commitment of each man to show up each month to serve themselves and to serve the other men. Each man agrees to working with the guiding principles designed to encourage a conversation that goes beyond banter, practising the ethos of sharing from the heart, listening and “no fixing”.
With 10 tables and about 100 men at regular Tables in the Canberra region now, I feel the defining feature of our first 18 months was just how much flow we experienced. Post-COVID was a good time to start as people wanted to connect AND we were gifted with willing champions and supporters from the community and philanthropic sectors such as the Snow Foundation, HAC and Communities@Work
From the start, we applied the principles of community-led and grassroots organisations, combined with a strong sense of collaboration with trusted local partners. The Snow Foundation, HAC and Communities@Work see themselves as supportive partners, not just with funding, but with the sharing of resources and invaluable networks of community champions who are willing to work with us.
The other surprising win was inviting local men into our awareness raising via the media, including an interview with HerCanberra. These were men who expressed interest in the Men’s Table prior to launch and were willing to speak about their own need for a Table in Canberra. This voluntary and vulnerable advocacy effectively modelled a “great invitation”, as we call it. We believe invitations work best when they are personal, heartfelt and real, and they are easy to say yes to.
I am grateful to those community champions willing to see The Men’s Table as something different…and a way of building community wellbeing rather than another support group. The Men’s Table is for all men wanting to explore the practice of being a healthy man. This appears to be ideal opportunity to share the highs and lows of life authentically… and turn up as just ourselves without needing to put on a facade or engage in superficial banter.
Canberra community seems to have many unique qualities as a city. This includes several which come with challenges and can lead to loneliness and disconnection including transient populations; many hierarchical, competitive and often high-security organisations; diverse age range and an evolving culture. In my experience of working in corporate London and community development partnerships in Africa, I have seen all the barriers and enablers to authentically connect with other humans. I value my Men’s Table for being able to practice better connection to both my inside world as well as my outer world.
How would it be if every man received a compelling invitation to a new space (Table), with new possibilities? I look forward to supporting intergenerational Tables of men from 20s to 80s growing and deepening. If you are a trusted community-minded organization (business, for purpose or government), please reach out to work with us on how to craft a good invitation to all your men.
Interested in taking part in a Men’s Table? Check out:
- Table Entree introductory evening either online or in person. The next in-person Entree event is coming up on Tuesday 2 July, at the Duxton in O’Connor and spaces are still available.
- Wellbeing Impact Reports, including feedback from partners of men at Tables.
Find out more at themenstable.org
Feature image supplied.
