Boys Talk
Boys Talk is an open, honest and safe space for anyone who identifies as a man. It is a peer support meeting for men to speak openly about their mental health.
Biweekly
Tuesday 7:30pm UK
Next meetings - 23rd April
- 7th, 21st May
What is it?
Boys Talk is an open, honest and safe space for anyone who identifies as a man. It is a peer support meeting for men to speak openly about their mental health, and to allow them to acknowledge the things in their lives impacting their well-being. There are many reasons attendees come to Boys Talk some of these include, but are absolutely not limited to: Abandonment, abuse, addiction, alcohol, anger, anxiety, baby loss, being a carer, being a victim of a crime, bipolar, body dysmorphia, BPD, breakdown of relationships, bullying, confidence, depression, disability, discrimination, domestic violence, drugs, family breakup, gender, grief, ill health, isolation, masculinity, money, obsessive thoughts, panic attacks, phobias, poverty, race, religion, self harm, self worth, sexuality, sleep, stress, suicide, therapy, trauma and work.
Why did it start?
Male suicide rates are higher than ever, and it is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45. Men can often struggle to seek help until they reach a point of crisis. Many services that are readily available are expensive and those that are free can have long wait times. Talking about mental health is our strength not our weakness. It is often assumed that talking openly about our feelings is a sign of weakness and that men should show strength by staying silent, this is simply untrue. Showing your vulnerability and being willing and open to learn from it shows true strength and acceptance. Ben and Jack founding hosts of Boys Talk
What to expect?
The meetings were created to give space for men to comfortably discuss their mental health and well-being. Peer support as a model better equips us all to have better conversations about mental health, mental illness and mental well-being. Talking about mental health with people we know can actually feel harder. It can be difficult to listen without any judgement when we know the person, whereas a room full of strangers can feel safe. We listen without judgement to those who speak. At the beginning of each meeting, attendees take it in turns to introduce themselves and why they are attending. We also share our pronouns to create a safe space for all. From then on there is no pressure at all to speak, many people attend our meetings to listen. The host will then ask the group if anyone has anything they would like to bring in to the space. Whatever a person has to say is relevant and they are welcome to bring anything to the meeting. All attendees are asked to respect the privacy of the space and treat others and ourselves with kindness throughout.
Where is it?
Enquire about this meeting
Meet the hosts
Here's a selection of some of our wonderful meeting hosts. / Voici certaines des hôtes qui facilitent les rencontres.
Liam
I started attending Good Grief meetings in early 2021, later joining the team as a host for Boys Talk and Good Grief. Hosting the meets allows me to focus my energy on holding a space for others, and has given me the opportunity to meet many others going through something similar. Being a part of the TNN team and working with my incredible co-hosts and has had a hugely positive impact on my life, and I couldn’t ask for more support. Whether it is a Good Grief or Boys Talk meet, I always leave feeling uplifted and better than when I went in. For anybody experiencing grief or on a journey of mental health discovery, I would recommend exploring what TNN has to offer and joining our community.
Seb
I started coming to TNN meetings to talk about my Mum, Liz, who died from liver cancer in April 2016. I immediately felt comfortable in an environment where I was able to talk freely about something that everyone understood, and not long after that I began hosting. To be able to hold the space for people to be honest and candid about their feelings was so powerful. I really love being able to allow people to talk about what they need to talk about. Hosting has not only given me the confidence to hold the space for my friends to be able to talk to me, but it’s given me the ability to talk to them too, which has massively helped my own grief journey. If there’s one thing I wish I knew before hosting, it would be that talking isn’t as scary as it first seems. I held off having these conversations because I was scared of the response I might get for being vulnerable, but it has helped me enormously. Volunteering with TNN has been great. Over the last few months I’ve taken time off from meetings, and there has never been any pressure to restart. They really are a charity who want to look after the whole grief community, and they do it effortlessly.