A look at the need for men’s groups and some upcoming programs for men on Vancouver Island
Cowichan Men’s Centre works to “provide resources and support groups for men to better improve their relationship with themselves, their families, and with their community.” The organization, started in 2004 and located in Duncan, operates in a funding-scarce environment, with governments either unwilling or unable to provide sufficient grants.
Internationally, there has been increased interest in providing specific supports for the needs of men. This year, for example, the Australian government issued a new National Male Health Policy [opens to PDF], a policy first for the country, which was aimed at males of all ages.
Last year the World Bank published The Other Half of Gender: Men’s Issues in Development, aimed at the international development sector. It stated that there is “an undeniable reality that men merit understanding in their own right,” adding that there is increasing interest in the need to involve men and in “exploring issues of masculinity.”
We speak with Grant Waldman, executive director of the Cowichan Men’s Resource Centre and his son Nathaniel. We’re also joined by Boys to Men program staff Mathew Davydiuk and Phil Gardner and by men’s centre mentor Joe Petriccione.
