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Who we are
At Mandem Meetup we work with men who are disenfranchised, marginalised, isolated and/or have mental health issues or are at risk of having mental health issues. We provide a number of Meetups which are about connecting men together, giving each other mutual support and providing social activities to reduce isolation.
We have been delivering services to Men and the Homeless of Manchester as volunteers since 2019 and rely on donations from generous people around the country to continue to do what we do for free.
What we're trying to do
The 24-Hour Sleep-out takes place on the streets of Manchester and Wolverhampton in December between the hours of 8am Saturday 30th November to 8am Sunday 1st December. During last years sleep-out temperatures were as low as -3 at 8am and raised to a highest of 2 degrees throughout the day. During the night -2 was the coldest point we had to endure.
Mandem Meetup is a free community group for all men and all our activities are free of charge, we actively remove barriers so anyone can attend. Some of those activities include -.
- Biweekly Hikes/wild camps/bushcraft,
- Talking Circles,
- 5-aside Football/calisthenics/kick boxing,
- Poetry/photography/chess clubs,
- Giving back to the community and those in need/are homeless
All the money raised is to continue being able to provide ongoing free activities, spaces for men to open up, venue hire, refreshments and facilitator fees.
We will also be designating some of funds towards helping the homeless with essentials like sleeping bags, toiletries, underwear and clothing so that they can take control of their wellbeing.
Why this is so important
“The average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women (Source: crisis.org.uk). This is an uncomfortable statistic – and particularly resonates with me personally as some of us approach my mid-40s. We are fortunate enough to have never experienced homelessness but, like all of us, we see this on the streets every day. As we approach the season for giving colleagues BPP Education Group including Kevin Hayes, Jo Preston Taylor, Adam Temple, Daniel Webb, Michael Rockson, Anita Skurr & Mark Ryder, will be raising awareness and supporting the homeless by spending 24 hours on the streets of Manchester, experiencing the harsh realities of life that some people have to face every day.”
Another goal of the project is to fund the purchase of a Mini-Bus that will help men for all areas reach our biweekly hikes and other activities that might offset spending their own money on transport.
Nearly 75% of all suicide victims are male and a whopping 87% of rough sleepers are also male. Men are nearly three times more like than women to become dependent on alcohol and report frequent drug use.
This is the reason Mandem Meetup was founded.
Our talking circle provide men with a safe space to talk, with no judgement, expectations, interruption or unsolicited advice.
We understand how important exercise can be for the mind and the body this is why we provide the following for free; -
- Exercise classes,
- Day trips,
- Mountain climbing/hikes,
- Cold water swimming in lakes
- Breathing Classes
- Work IN, Work OUT Classes
Please donate what you can and share so that we can spread the word of Mandem far and wide.
Come as you are men, you’re welcome here.