A NEW 12 week training programme for men in distress is coming to Ballymun as part of efforts to buck the trend of male suicide among 18-24 year olds.
According to statistics from the CSO, there were 451 suicides in Ireland in 2015, down eight from 2014. However, the 18-24 age bracket is still considered a high risk category, and that’s an issue mental health group Mojo is looking to tackle in Ballymun next month.
“Basically Mojo is about helping guys that are struggling with depression; men who are having difficulty with long term unemployment,” Mojo’s Programme Coordinator Kerry Lawless explained.
“It really helps them to ultimately get their mojo back.
“It’s about supporting guys around their mental health, their mental fitness and getting them back out into the world.
“It’s different for everybody, but over the course of the 12 weeks we’d be supporting men in coming up with their own plan for moving forward.
“For some people that could be about going back into education or training, for others it’s about getting work, for some it could be about volunteering, while for others it might be about getting additional mental health support for whatever they need. It’s very individualised.”
Mojo’s north Dublin program will differ from other Mojo programs in Leinster in that the Ballymun project will specifically target 18-24 year olds.
According to research, the rate of youth suicide in Ireland is the fifth highest in the EU at 15.7 per 100,000 for 15-24 year olds.
To try and reverse the trend, Mojo tries to assist young males by teaching them about the core principles of stress detection and physical fitness, but the program really works by creating an equal environment between facilitators and those who attend.
“Mojo runs differently to other programs in that it’s led by the needs of men,” Lawless added.
“We run it as an equal partnership with the guys doing the program. It’s not like we’re up at the top of the room saying who should be doing what, or saying that we have all the answers, it’s about encouraging guys to share their own experiences and learn from each other.
“It’s an enjoyable, relaxed program but everyone is treated like adults. It’s a real privilege to do this and it’s very inspiring, but it’s also about recognizing that I’m a man, and I struggle with mental health stuff and I have issues and that we’re all equal here.
“I get as much out of it from working with the guys as I hope they’re getting out of the program, and that’s the way it models.
“That’s the way it runs. It’s that we’re all equal in this room.
“It takes a lot of courage to step into the mojo group for the first time because it is guys only, and there is that thing about guys not liking to talk about their feelings.
“But in my experience, once you create space and give guys permission, they jump at the chance to be able to talk about what’s going on for them.”
To find out more about Mojo visit www.mojo.ngo or you can call Kerry Lawless at 085-2538717.