An occasional bulletin on men’s development: July 2017
edited by Alan Heeks
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In this issue:
- Men's peer group weekend: Sept 1-3
- Men Beyond 50 website relaunch
- Rewriting the Man Code: The Good Men Project
- Countrymen's Club: new roots for older men
- Blog: Football as a map of the inner life for men
- Resource Toolkit: Friendship Tips
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Dear friends
Welcome to this occasional e-newsletter for men. I’d like the Men Beyond 50 website and this newsletter to feature a range of resources for men, so feel free to send me info about your events, organisation, and skills.
With best wishes
Alan Heeks
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Nourish, Reflect & Refresh: Men's peer group weekend
Hazel Hill Wood near Salisbury
Friday - Sunday: September 1 - 3
 A chance to relax, reflect, and renew, with the collective wisdom and support of a group of men, and the magical setting of this 70-acre wood. There will be space for conversations, camp fires, quiet time, shared activities and good food as we shape our time together over the course of the week-end.
Guided by Alan Heeks and Charles Kemp. Alan has been involved with one-off and ongoing men's groups for 25 years, many at Hazel Hill, and wrote Out of the Woods: a guide to life for men beyond 50. Charles is a healer/counsellor, Interfaith celebrant and musician who has been supporting Alan in holding weekends like this at Hazel Hill.
Friday 7pm to Sunday 2pm. Only £88, plus bring food to share.
For enquiries and bookings contact Charles: charles.fhp@blueyonder.co.uk
or 07737 892891.
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Men Beyond 50: major website update
This website offers a wealth of practical advice for older men, on anything from physical health through dating, divorce, and there are also event listings, blogs, and useful links. The Resources section has a large number of briefings, and covers emotional and spiritual topics, as well as health and practical matters like work and money. The website has just been extensively overhauled to make it easier to navigate. Your guest blogs, event listings and other contributions are very welcome.
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Rewriting the Man Code:
The Good Men Project
The lead feature in the latest issue of Positive News explored the stresses men face, and how some are seeking to reinvent masculinity.
It pointed out that while 95% of FTSE CEO’s are men, so are 95% of the prison population. The power of a few high-profile men can obscure the stresses many men face, and the lostness many of them feel.
The feature highlights a range of positive initiatives, including the way that Princes William and Harry have talked openly about grief, and CALM, a charity which uses some creative approaches to preventing male suicide. It also mentions The Good Men Project, a popular US website for men.
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The Countrymen's Club
 This is a creative new approach to supporting men over 50, recognising the particular issues of isolation in rural areas. The Club is run by Future Roots, a charity who operate two care farms in Dorset. Activities include farm work, songs, art therapy, woodworking and small building projects. It’s clear from the website that this approach really works: it would be great to see it reproduced elsewhere. See more at here... |
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Blog: Football as a map of the inner circle for men
Do any of these reflect your own inner manager?
Since so many men share my love for the game, it seems appropriate to use it as a guide or metaphor for the inner life in a blog intended for men.
The image of the club is like your image in the world around you. Whatever your present reality, the glories or otherwise of your past have created a mass of associations which are held by many others. Like a club, you will have fans and opponents, and their beliefs about you will change only slowly.
The players at the club are like the aspects of your personality. Some are wild, some are quiet. Some break the rules often, others keep their nose clean. Some appear on the pitch often, some stay mostly in the reserves. Your players could be called sub-personalities: the romantic, the geek, the angry hitman, the saintly sage and so on. Click here to read more... |
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Resource Toolkit: Friendship Tips
Cultivating a garden takes some dedication and skill, and friendships need this too.
 One of the big improvements in my 50s and 60s has been more and better friendships. These friendships oil the gearbox of life: lubricating changes and crises which could be overwhelming. They also top the cake, through the pleasures of companionship and by appreciating good things about me which I often ignore. This may sound easy, but it hasn’t been for me. I’ve had to learn by mistakes and the painful loss of some good friendships. So here are my top tips on cultivating friendship...
Click here to read more...
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