The past few years have been an amazing journey for me, promoting International Men’s Day around the world. I have met some amazing men who are profoundly committed to the betterment of men, families and their respective nation’s societies around the world.
International Men’s Day 2018 Promo
I have had interactions with men from Canada, USA, UK, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Malta, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Isle of Man, Mexico, Ukraine, New Zealand, Saint Kitts & Nevis and of course Trinidad/Tobago, the homeland of Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, founder of International Men’s Day.
It is truly humbling to meet such men, who in most cases are advocates for both the plight of men and the greater good of all humankind. In some cases, it is women who are the main advocates for the men of their nation, and they are true heroines of the cause.
Last Thursday we conducted the ‘Positive Male Role Models’ Webinar. Peter Lim and I had the joy of hearing from four such great men.
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, founder of International Men’s Day pointed out that there are distorted perceptions of what a man is, and how we need to renew our vision for manhood. Listen here.
Our second guest was Mark Brooks, an ambassador for International Men’s Day in the UK. Mark is the Chair of the ManKind Initiative and shared his journey as the driving force behind International Men’s Day in the UK. ManKind Initiative is the leading UK charity providing support to male victims of domestic abuse and championing the needs of men and their children who need to escape from abusive relationships.
Mark is also the co-founder of the Men and Boys Coalition – launched in Parliament, the Coalition is a 70 strong organisation of charities, academics and professionals focusing on improving boys’ education, men’s health and promoting the positive role that fathers play in families. Listen to Webinar Here:
The webinar also featured Remi Akano, one of the leaders of International Men’s Day in Nigeria. He is helping organize International Men’s Day celebrations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia in West Africa. I could really identify with Remi when he said on the Positive Male Role Models Webinar, “Men are ignored by the government and they have no (governmental) structures to back them up.” Listen to Webinar Here:
We even had the first parliamentarian in the world to make a speech in Parliament supporting International Men’s Day come onto the Webinar; Australia’s very own Nick Goiran MP, an upper house member of the Western Australian State Parliament. In June 2009, in his maiden speech, he proposed a Council for Men and Boys. So Nick has been a political pioneer for men and boys for longer than most. Read this excerpt of his speech:
Mr President, I will conclude discussing this issue of interdependency (of men and women) by reading from an article by Marybeth Hicks. If members think the name sounds American, that is because it is. Nonetheless, I encourage members to consider the obvious parallels to Western Australia. Time does not permit me to read the entire article, but for those who are interested it can be found at www.marybethhicks.com The article is entitled ‘Men are women’s “issue”’. It states:
“Last week, President Obama signed an executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. . .
The folks who did attend seemed thrilled that a special White House council had been created to advance feminist ideas. I doubt it ís going to do much good for women and girls. If Mr. Obama wanted to actually do something significant for America’s women and girls, he would have created instead a White House Council on Men and Boys.
Just imagine the estrogen-induced response to something so sexist as a council chartered to address the concerns of one gender over another. Oh, wait. That is what this is. But anyway, his is a council to address the issues of women and girls, so of course it is entirely fair.
Actually, I’m the mother of three girls, and I happen to think Mr. Obama’s new council won’t win the battle of the sexes. That is because the best thing anyone can do for American women and girls is to encourage men and boys to ‘man up.’ A Council on Men and Boys would promote stable marriage as the best avenue to improve the lives and living conditions of America’s women and families.
A council on men and boys would address the crisis in American manhood that results in the scourge of infidelity, divorce, lack of commitment and fatherhood with multiple partners.
A council on men and boys would seek to eliminate the objectification of women in the media. It would battle our hypersexual culture by fighting against the ‘hook-up’ mentality that defines the way in which young men view young women. And most importantly, it would stamp out the violence against women that emanates from men’s widespread exposure and growing addiction to pornography.
Such a council would work to train a new generation of boys to become real men, who honor and uphold women as equals in the workplace, the community and the home – not because the government regulates such an attitude, but because it is right.
A council on men and boys also would address the underlying problems that create ‘women’s issues’ such as child care, inadequate pay and domestic violence. These aren’t ‘women’s issues’, but issues related to the systemic collapse of the American family.
Believe me, I’m not man-bashing. Rather, I think the feminist agenda is a false promise. A council on women and girls that seeks to infuse feminism across the government propels us further from real solutions.”
Also listen to Nick Goiran’s interview on last Thursday’s Webinar here:
Lovework
Do what you can in preparation for International Men’s Day on Monday 19 November 2018. The resources on the IMD website are yours to use. Whatever you can do, big or small – just do it!
One other thing. Several generous donors have put up a $7,000 matching challenge, which expires this coming Thursday November 15 at midnight. In other words, every donation up to $7,000 before the deadline doubles. Your tax deductible donation of $20 becomes $40 and your tax deductible donation of $500 becomes $1,000. Help us promote Positive Male Role Models in Australia and around the world. Your donation will be of the greatest benefit to our children. Donate Now.
Yours for getting more men to Man Up
Warwick Marsh
PS: If you didn’t catch the ‘Positive Male Role Models’ Webinar last Thursday night, listen to it, here NOW!
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