Today (November 19) we’re celebrating International Men’s Day, for those of you who don’t know, International Men’s Day is there to celebrate and appreciate the men who have played positive roles in our lives.
This year International Men’s Day (IMD), which is celebrated in over 80 countries worldwide and supported by UNESCO, carries an important theme: working together for men and boys. This means that IMD will be centred around men’s health and wellbeing, battling against discrimination, and celebrating the contribution that men make.
The concept for International Men’s Day originated in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999; its creator, Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, pushed the idea after observing that Father’s Day aside, there was no annual celebration on the calendar for men. The organisers behind the UK’s IMD events say: “IMD is a global grassroots movement that invites every man, woman, girl and boy in the world to come together and celebrate men and boys in all their diversity.”
There are various events to celebrate the occasion taking place nationwide on November 19. To fly the flag for the North, Newcastle University’s Institute of Health and Society are hosting a morning of informal presentations which will explain more about the event. The organisers of International Men’s Day are encouraging the public to get involved and host their own events – you can learn more at http://ukmensday.org.uk and http://internationalmensday.com.
