In February 2023 the Cha in the City Open Group for Punjabi men met to discuss the topic of Masculinity and Mental Health. Here are some reflections from the session.
The online forum for Punjabi Men’s Group return this month after a technical hitch last month and we welcomed new members as well as those returning.
This month the online forum topic for discussion was ‘Masculinity and Mental Health’ this was a broad topic for discussion with varying aspects to discuss including the experience of forum members.
As usual there were some questions to guide the breakout rooms to discuss the topic, although the questions are posed to support the discussions, the conversations often are led by the participants. The questions this month that were offered included ‘How do we define masculinity?’, ‘How does masculinity affect mental health?’ and What impact does the Punjabi culture have on our perception of masculinity?’.
The conversations were broader and covered many aspects of the topic including discussing the impact on peoples mental wellbeing, the expectation of others on masculinity and imagery. There were also discussions around the impact of Punjabi cultural on masculinity and the pressures that this sometimes brings.
The rich conversations were informed by members personal experiences as well as an opportunity to explore the potential impacts on the mental wellbeing of both individuals and the broader community. There was also an acknowledgment that the imagery of masculinity and associated behaviours are changing with time and new ways of living.
The topic allowed for many differing contributions from those who participated and the quality of the discussion is very much delivered by the diversity of participants.
The forums are a great safe place to explore issues that have an impact either directly or indirectly to our wellbeing. Participating in the facilitated spaces are a great opportunity to share and hear about a range of subjects, and we are always keen to hear from participants about subjects for future forums.
