Men Initiating Meaningful Expression of Self

In this episode of MIMES, we are discussing men's mental health and why as men we need a safe space to talk especially as we navigate this pandemic. Men are three times more likely to experience addiction and substance abuse issues. In addition, as a result of the pandemic, 27% of men reported that their mental health has worsened. We have a special guest who will share his own experience with mental health challenges. Let's Talk! Here are some free mental health resources compiled by the City of Toronto to support diverse communities (for those living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): Across Boundaries (http://www.acrossboundaries.ca/) Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (https://cafcan.org/) Crisis Text Line (https://www.crisistextline.ca/) Family Services Toronto (https://familyservicetoronto.org/) Gerstein Crisis Centre (http://gersteincentre.org/) Hong Fook (https://hongfook.ca/) Kids Help Phone (https://kidshelpphone.ca/) Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (https://nativechild.org/latest- message-from-ncfst-on-covid-19-april-7/) Ontario Psychological Association (https://www.psych.on.ca/) Strides Toronto (https://stridestoronto.ca/) The Access Point (http://theaccesspoint.ca/) Toronto Seniors Helpline (https://torontoseniorshelpline.ca/) (WoodGreen) Warm Line (http://www.warmline.ca/) (Progress Place)

Let US Reintroduce Ourselves...MIMES: We Back at it!!! The MIMES Podcast was on a short hiatus as the hosts faced a range of challenges while dealing with this pandemic like everyone else. Nonetheless, WE ARE BACK and ready to discuss some of the challenges that kept us away. We are looking forward to the rest of the season. Let's talk!

In this episode of MIMES, we've invited two guests, Ray from Raydiant Productions and Francois aka Dougie from Nuhlikkletwang Podcast, to unpack the question: What does it mean to be your authentic self? As men, we are conditioned to behave in a manner that's considered "acceptable" in society. We've lived in environments that force us to conform to fit in a particular box of expectations, which can negatively impact our identity. We then have to reckon with the discrepancy of who our environments want us to be and the person we know we are inside. So being authentic is a significant issue in our society today. The result is that this has had detrimental effects on how men view themselves and treat others within their surroundings.

This season on MIMES is called 'unmasking the man', where we discuss some of the challenges of being men in today's society. Listen to the first episode to find out more about your co-hosts, as well as future topics that will be covered this season.

Welcome to MIMES - men initiating meaningful expression of self.