In a context where, in Quebec, the suicide rate for men is still three times higher than for women, it is essential that we take care of their well-being and their mental health. This is the mission that the organization Hommes Québec, founded by the psychoanalyst Guy Corneau, has given itself for thirty years.
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If men feel good, everyone around them will benefit. Deeply convinced by this assertion, Hommes Québec set up, this month, an awareness campaign on the importance of this issue. Offering talk and listening groups that help break isolation and equip men in the way they communicate and express their emotions, the organization realizes that there is still a lot of work to do.
Support and listening
Meeting other guys who understand you, welcome you for who you are, and allow you to truly express yourself, can make all the difference in difficult times. Talking, having support, listening, growing by learning how to manage emotions and communicate. Become more in control of your suffering and your joy rather than submit to your emotions and let them lead your life.
The essence of the human makes him seek to be seen and recognized as a unique individual. Affirmation is at the heart of this issue in order to be able to express its uniqueness in all its splendor. Have we made every effort to evolve as men, to assert ourselves and to shine our beautiful singular colors?
Have we done everything to express, with skill, what we live, what we feel, our fears, our needs, our aspirations? Have we clearly stated who we are as individuals and as a community in order to be received, heard, seen and recognized in our workplaces and in our private lives?
Communicating takes learning, and you get better with practice. It is a valuable asset for young adults and older men in society. Talking, listening, exchanging with peers who seek to express their full values and colors, and be recognized: this is what we do at Hommes Québec.
Evolving ourselves gives us the opportunity to define who will be the men of tomorrow and in what world our sons, but also our daughters, will live.
The men will demonstrate their true courage and reveal how they will extricate themselves from the trap of silence to find greater well-being.
Be true
At Hommes Québec, there is no agenda other than to be. And to be true. This encourages the personal ability to respect one’s limits, to protect one’s integrity, to tell the other about who one is. Having boundaries that delimit one’s sacred space is important, even vital. It’s a lot different from trying to play roles, look solid, or have forced smiles. To be true, to be free, to be oneself goes through the appropriation of one’s limits and borders. This helps men develop to the best of their abilities and build a more fulfilling emotional and relational life.
The organization Hommes Québec reaches out to all the guys in the province and invites them to follow what seems the right path to regain vitality, nurture the pride of being a man, and contribute emotionally and concretely to human development.
René Huet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hommes Québec