We run an informal group for Men  - ManKind. The guys alternate in person meetings with online so that as many men as possible can take part. They meet fortnightly online on Thursday evenings to chat, to listen and to plan where and when they are going to meet in person the following Friday afternoon.  They have toured local parks, organised walks and are also pretty partial to a brew and a good natter, so like to arrange meetings in city centre cafes and coffee shops.

The group is volunteer-led and aims to encourage men to meet, talk, share experiences, support each other and make friends. It's an informal and friendly group and all are welcome.

There's no obligation to attend every week - any time you feel like it, you're welcome to come and join the guys for a brew and a chat. If you're seeking advice or information,  ManKind can signpost you to appropriate support and share resources. Our volunteer facilitator, Tim, can also tell you about the other services provided by Sheffield Mind that may also be appropriate.

If you'd like to attend the virtual or in person sessions, do get in touch and we can pass on contact details and meeting links and tell you more about the project. Email [email protected] .

Tim

The group is facilitated by our volunteer, Tim, a former social worker, who is committed to raising awareness of mental health issues and helping men to find the confidence to access services and ask for help. 

As an experienced mental health worker he is aware of the services available to men in the city and can help and advise should service specific information be required. 

Tim is also a trustee at Sheffield Mind and his particular interest is the service user voice - making sure that we really listen to what people with lived experience of mental health issues are saying.

Read more about Tim.

Service User Feedback

Here are some comments which ManKind attendees have said about the group, the importance of getting together with people who understand what you are and having been going through is significant as can be seen in the comments we have had from users of the service:

Mankind is a real lifeline for me in coping with my depression. The support, experiences and friendliness of other members has helped and encouraged me immensely and made me feel much less lonely and isolated.

I’ve struggled for years, for longer than I can remember. I've struggled with my fears, anxieties, the things that made me worry and fret that would keep me up all night. But I am a dad, I have children and a wife, so I have to be strong. I heard my friends and family say, ‘man up’ or tell me that I'm a real man because I cope well. I didn’t cope well. I just didn’t talk about things, bottled it all up and kept quiet. Until the day I planned to end it all, because it was too much. Now I don’t struggle, I talk, and listen and share my thoughts and feelings. Mankind opened new doors for me, when I could only see one door left. Thank you.

I have mental health problems, that’s what I am told. I am told that by friends and family, and soon believed I must be a problem. I became withdrawn, quiet and felt like my loved ones couldn’t hear me. Then I made it to Mankind. I don’t get to join every week, because with the groups help I’ve learned so much, I found new ways to talk and express how I feel, new ways to be heard and now I do more. I get out more. I live more.

I thought it must just be me… Like I got life wrong somehow and it was a game I didn’t understand. Then I joined the group, and at ManKind I realised, guys like me just don’t open up enough. We don’t talk things through. That’s like playing a game of Cluedo without asking any questions isn’t it? The chaps who come to ManKind are a great bunch, who help each other just by chatting and caring. 

I didn’t used to go in for this talking and hugging stuff. Never was one for it. Just pick yourself up and get on with it. That was my style. Then all that changed, I hit rock bottom but couldn’t understand how I ended up there. My daughter referred me to ManKind, said I needed to talk more. I went along, begrudgingly, and learned that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I was always quiet and struggled, used to think about suicide as a way of ending the awful feeling I had. Now I don’t struggle like that, I struggle, but then I know what to do next, I know what steps to take, because the guys on ManKind are full of advice and support. Then I know what to try, and how to pick myself up again when things are hard and I feel like I failed. Suicide isn’t an option anymore, there’s too many useful options instead, and Mankind helped me find them.

I had lots going on, lots of worries, bills, car, wife, kids, work… Too much. Chatting to the guys lets me de stress, ease the worries and realise I am not alone. ManKind is a lifeline.

The camaraderie and support I have experienced through ManKind has really helped with my depression.

Joining ManKind was the best thing to come from this pandemic, and the help it has given me through my anxiety and depression have been really valuable.

I look forward to Thursday evenings, it’s social, warm and friendly. It makes me remember that having friends, talking about things is normal and helpful. Guys that have maybe nothing in common, who can still get together and put the world to rights. I look forward to Thursdays.