Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Men's health top of the agenda at conference
The event, jointly hosted by the Men's Health Forum, the Houses of Parliament's Outreach Service and Leeds Metropolitan, will be chaired by Colin Penning, External Affairs Officer of the Men's Health Forum, with sessions led by Alan White, Professor of Men's Health at Leeds Met and Patron of the Men's Health Forum, Baroness Masham of Ilton, Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group and Councillor Lisa Mulherin, Chair of the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board.
Running from 1-4pm, the event aims to provide practical advice on how individuals and organisations can raise vital issues with MPs, Members of the House of Lords and local government. It will be an opportunity to discuss issues surrounding men's health and a chance to network with men's health professionals in the region.
Professor White commented: "The focus of the Men's Health Week this year is men's mental health, under the banner of 'You only live once so talk to someone'. In response to the growing number of men who are committing suicide, the aim of the week is to tackle stigma in men's mental health and promote mental well-being and help-seeking in men.
"This conference will allow us to explore how we can get more attention onto the health needs of men, locally, nationally and internationally. We will also be sharing some of the findings of the new European Commission 'Role of Men in Gender Equality' report, which Dr Gary Raine, from our team, and I were involved in as the UK National Experts and to write the section on men and their health."
Colin added: "In Men's Health Week, the Men's Health Forum is saying 'let's talk about it'. It's important that we enable men to talk about feeling down and challenge health providers to enable them to do it. This event shows how men themselves, charities and policy makers can come together to make a real difference to men's lives."
The conference is open to all and will be of particular interest to those involved in politics, men's health issues or mental health issues. Individuals as well as those with a professional interest are welcome as are students and those involved in volunteering and community sport.
Read Professor White's thoughts on Men's Health Week 2013 in his blog post.