Community
5 November, 2021
Indigenous Men’s Self Help Convention reaches out to all Cairns men
A Cairns Indigenous men’s support group are tackling the problem of depression and anxiety amongst Indigenous men here in north Queensland.
THE KUNJUR First Nations Men’s Collective will stage their first Men’s Self Care Convention this Sunday, aimed at helping attendees make the first crucial steps towards taking better care of themselves.
Bernard Sabadi, founder, and coordinator for the group believes you cannot take care of your family if you are not first looking after yourself.
“We all make promises to ourselves, I’ll start going to the gym, or I’ll start to eat healthy, but taking the first step sometimes can be difficult.
“We need to look after ourselves so we can care for, and better help our family and friends”.
The figures are frightening, one in eight men will experience depression and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage in their lives.
Men make up an average of seven out of every nine suicides each day in Australia, with almost double the number men dying each year by suicide than the national road toll.
The Men’s Self Care Convention will be held this Sunday afternoon at Stan Williams Park in Manunda between 3pm and 5pm.
Self-care activities and information will be available including health and exercise, care and grooming, counselling, meditation, and mindfulness as well as Uncle Graham Brady’s ‘Connecting with Culture and Country’.
For many Indigenous men the feeling of disconnect from society and heritage is a problem that impacts greatly upon their lives.
Sabadi believes Uncle Graham Brady’s work is crucial in creating a strong sense of identity and discovery of heritage and family.
The Men’s Self Care Convention is free to attend and open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and their families.
It is anticipated that up to 200 men will attend the two-hour self-discovery program, with strong interest locally as well as groups from Kuranda, the Tablelands and Yarrabah looking to attend.
For more information held to their Facebook page, @KunjurMensGroup.
