Ian Forest-Jones is a pastor from Liverpool. He settled in Australia in 2004 after leaving his home of Hamilton, Canada.
Aside from leading his congregation as senior pastor, Ian is also a mentor with Mentoring Men, is part of the Western District Joggers and has started the Whiskey Circle which provides a safe space for men to talk about manhood and their mental health.
Ian is one of 10 men featured on We Are Men videos talking about tough times in their lives and how they dealt with them.
In Ian’s case, the expectations on him as a leader in his church became almost unbearable, and in the video, pictured, he explains how important it is to seek both professional help but also the support of the people in your life.
We Are Men is a community of real men talking about their real struggles and it was established in a bid to tackle male suicide and the stigma surrounding men’s mental health in the South Western Sydney region.
“These men are opening up and discussing their mental health so other blokes can too, without the fear of shame or exclusion,’’ says Epiphany Mason, the lead on the initiative.
“It can be hard to ask for help, but no man needs to struggle alone.’’
As part of the We Are Men initiative, 10 men from the South West Sydney region have shared their stories of mental health.
Four of those videos have already been released and are available for viewing at https://wearemen.com.au/videos/
The campaign was a recipient of the South West Sydney PHN proactive approaches to men’s suicide prevention tender and produced by the Docobites video agency.
“Through the We Are Men video stories, podcast, app and highlighting of local services, we hope to encourage all men to chat about what they’re going through and seek help,’’ says Ms Mason.
“We want to engage the South Western Sydney male community and encourage them to be proactive about managing their mental health.’’
We Are Men will connect with local men across three digital platforms: a website, www.wearemen.com.au, where there are links to health services and programs within the South Western Sydney region that men can go to for further help and resources.
There is also a Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/wearemenAU and -launching in May – a new path in the free mHealth app, Onlyhuman http://www.onlyhumanapp.com
