Men's mental health is a topic that often goes undiscussed, with little to no light shed upon it. A startling statistic reveals that 84 men commit suicides each week, constituting 75% of all suicides. Men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women. Sadly, men are less likely to seek help due to societal norms that discourage them from opening up or expressing their emotions, falsely suggesting that it diminishes their masculinity if they do. This leads to many men, especially the youth, putting on a fake smile and concealing their emotions. While June was Men's Mental Health Month, not many people were aware of it due to the minimal awareness and coverage, which also highlights the deeply rooted historical nature of this issue.
Nebiyou Timotewos is an individual who has been through a lot, including witnessing tragic events in the Yemen war, such as losing loved ones in front of him, losing his two brothers, losing his grandparents in a single day, being bullied, and even surviving a potential plane crash, among many other experiences. Nebiyou acknowledges that he never sought therapy or talked about these experiences for years due to societal expectations. This led him to bottle up his emotions, resulting in depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. After many years of battling these emotions, Nebiyou finally decided to stop running and embrace them. He has since mastered his emotions and learned how to control them.
Now, Nebiyou is eager to initiate this mentorship program, where he aims to teach young people how to do the same. He hopes to become the mentor and guide he wished he had when he was facing these challenges. Nebiyou stated, "Many youth are afraid to open up to their parents, friends, and others because they fear judgment. This can lead parents or the community to believe that the youth is okay when, in reality, they are suffering silently. Only God truly knows what happens behind closed doors."
He goes on to explain his motivation for starting this program, saying, "I had no one to turn to or listen to me, and when I did try to open up, I was judged. Now, I want to be the mentor I wish I had for the youth." This program was funded by the government of Canada to create a platform for everyone to learn from each other. "I can't wait to see the amazing things we are going to learn from each other. This is a brotherhood, as change begins with us and through us," Nebiyou adds.
This program won't solely focus on mental health but will also encompass personal growth, resilience, networking, prominent guest speakers from various fields in the country, life advice, and even one-on-one mentoring throughout the post-secondary journey, culminating in a certified certificate of completion at the end of the program. Come and join these eight weeks as a period of growth, resilience, healing, and, most importantly, joy.
