It’s brilliant to see such a big football club using its position of significant societal influence to role model healthier norms of masculinity.
Here you can see a mix of coaches and other staff members critiquing the messages men and boys typically receive about how they “should” be a man, prompted by artwork from our Lads, lads, lads zine.
We went on to analyse a series of real-life stories we had gathered in creating the zine, of men and boys breaking out of the stereotypical man-box, drawing out the helpful messages these lads had received and the healthy strategies they used to cope when times were tough.
Delegates left the session reflecting on “different ways to engage peer to peer discussions,” recognising the importance of mental health and the “need to challenge” unhelpful attitudes when they notice them.
They felt “positive around my role to support” players, “empowered with knowledge” and keen “to allow players to speak more,” “helping others to share emotions,” “speaking about current feelings,” thinking “about use of language.”
I’m always really pleased when people use the word “safe” to describe a session we have run, as we know that these are tricky issues and we absolutely want people to feel comfortable when we open up a space to reflect on them.
A number of delegates commented on how useful it was to get to explore real life stories and perspectives and it absolutely made my heart sing that someone commented that the most useful or significant thing about the session was “pictures painting scenes”!
Thanks so much Alexandra Renny (Chartered MCIPD) and Deborah Elliott for your support getting set up today. You’re doing such an important job addressing such big themes
by Managing Director, Lisa Charlotte Davis
