About this Event
*General Walk - no registration required*
Walk Leader: Stanley Rashai
Walk Description: We live in a society that looks down on men showing their emotions and being vulnerable. When women express their emotions they are perceived as "sensitive," and it's socially acceptable for them to express their feelings, like sadness or fear. But men, who are seen as strong and fearless, are not encouraged to outwardly express their emotions. Men who go against this narrative are seen as weak. As a result, many men neglect to show their emotions. However, this is incredibly detrimental to a man's mental health.
After struggling with my mental health and talking to other men. I knew something needed to be done. I had endless conversations with both men and women on men's mental health to get a bit more understanding of the matter.
I started working on merch for the past six months but I didn't feel right. Mainly it didn't have a why behind it. I went back and forth on what I wanted to do. One of the ideas I have was creating a men's group to create a safe space for men to openly express themselves. Then the question came up how was I gonna fund it then it hit me. People have been bugging me about the merch drop and I decided to merge the two ideas.
Though the merch and its messaging had a positive impact I knew more needed to be done. I realized a lot of men didn't know how to have this conversation with other men. I also realized a lot of women had never heard men speaking openly about their mental health struggles and didn't know how to approach the matter effectively.
This is how the idea of the Check-In was Born. After hiding my mental health trouble and wearing a mask for years, I forced myself out into the world and slowly regained the confidence to take the mask off, a curiosity grew to better understand myself and this internal world I seemingly had very little control of. I stumbled into meditation, soaked up any talk on psychology, explored therapy, art, men's groups, and above all. I found friendships with others who shared this desire to look inward and share more openly about not only the good stuff but also the less-than-ideal - our fears, pains and insecurities.
Over time I noticed that it was in these open conversations that our relationship grew. Not to mention they helped us feel a bit less alone - like we were in this together. And within these conversations with other men, we were paving a new way for what had been told to us as men - to do it alone, to stay strong and not show weakness. Strangely enough, after being forced to hide myself when I was younger, it has been these moments of seeing others and being seen more deeply that have given me a sense of meaning, connection and purpose. There was still a component missing though. I realized that men cannot deal with this issue alone. The more I shared my story with others. I had a lot of women reaching out and engaging in very interesting conversations. I knew at that moment I had to find a way to include women in the project.
Ultimately, these event is a tool to create a healthy interactive conversation between men and women. By creating an environment that allows men to explore, uncover, and share what makes us who we are. While scary at times (or damn near impossible), Whilst also Include women allowing them to hear perspectives that may be foreign to them and also enabling them to have the necessary tools to help the men in their lives.
Starting place: Moody Centre Skytrain station
How to recognize your walk leader(s): Stanley will be wearing a bright green t-shirt
Accessibility Info: Stairs, non-accessible curb cuts, or other barriers, Breaks offered along the way, Family-friendly, Pet-friendly
Travel Tips: The starting point is at a skytrain station along the Millennium Line, that has lots of parking and is accessible
This event is taking place as part of the Jane’s Walk Vancouver Festival (May 2-5, 2024). Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, citizen-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs. Check out other Jane’s Walks happening this year in Vancouver here.
We respectfully acknowledge that Jane's Walk takes place on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Moody Centre, Moody Centre, Port Moody, Canada
CAD 0.00
