The Man Down Programme

The Man Down Project (MDP) was developed to help males or anyone who identifies as a male pronoun to have an honest and meaningful conversation about their mental well-being and experiences of distress or trauma. The MDP aims to look at men primarily working in the music industry. There has been a significant increase in male suicide rates in the UK with males under 45 making up three quarters of those who die by suicide. Tentative research suggests that males who work in the music, media, culture and sports industry struggle with low mood and fleeting thoughts of self-harm this has seen suicide increase by 20% in these industries. Through the MDP we aim to open up discussion, allow human emotion to be normalised but conversely look at the causation of distress. The aims are; • To talk AND listen. • To normalise the feelings of distress and trauma in order to reduce the epidemic of ‘toxic masculinity’ • Learn to identify risk factors that may lead to self-harm and suicidal behaviours. • Develop coping mechanisms and keeping safe tips. • Consider how identity affects men/males in this industry. • Signpost to relevant agencies and support networks. • We will address masculinity, race, culture, identity and socio economic factors that have become common themes in contributing to narratives of male distress. In order to accurately reflect the lived experiences of men in this industry we are creating a short film whereby our contributors will talk about their own experiences as well as the methods they have used to stay well. The MDP project is a non-profit organisation. We will deliver our training packages for free in the following settings; Charities Community groups Non-profit organisations. Youth Groups. Schools/Colleges We will deliver our package for a fee to the following; Universities The Music industry and other corporations.