June is Men’s Mental Health Month

June is Men’s Mental Health Month By Dale Jodoin It’s supposed to be a time to help men and boys feel brave enough to talk. To cry if they need to. To say, “I’m not okay,” and still feel like they matter. But most people don’t even know it exists. And the truth is, many men are struggling—but feel like they can’t say a word. How Many Men Are There? In Canada, there are more than 20 million men. In the United States, there are about 168 million men. In Europe, there are around 360 million men. That’s a lot of people. That’s millions of fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, grandpas. But when it comes time to talk about their health—especially their mental health—something happens: They’re forgotten. It Starts Early In schools, most teachers are women. About 65% of all teachers in Canada are female. That number’s even higher in elementary school. This is not an attack on women—it’s a fact. Boys grow up without male teachers or mentors. Most of them go through years of school without one man showing them how to be strong in the right way. They’re told to “sit still,” “calm down,” and “stop being loud.” If they run around or get too excited, they get told they have problems. Many get put on medicine just for acting like boys. They’re not allowed to talk about how they feel. They’re told, “Be quiet. Don’t cry. Don’t complain.” Some boys even believe something is wrong with them just because they’re boys. Then It Gets Worse When boys become teenagers, the confusion grows. They’re told being “manly” is bad. That it’s wrong to be strong or competitive. They start to think that being themselves is not okay. And if they speak up about feeling sad or lost, they get laughed at or called names. In high school and college, many boys stop trying to date. They’re scared to talk to girls. They’re scared of being accused of something. They’re scared to even be near people sometimes. They feel like being a man is dangerous or bad. And when some men in college try to start clubs just for men—to talk and feel safe—they get shut down. People say those groups “hate women,” even if they don’t. So the men go quiet again. What About Fathers? Here’s something wild. Father’s Day is in June. That’s during Men’s Mental Health Month. A time meant to honour fathers. But instead of feeling honoured, many dads feel beaten down. They get taken away from their kids in court. They get told they don’t matter as much as moms. They lose jobs and homes. And nobody checks on their hearts. Many boys grow up watching their dads get pushed around, or pushed away. So what do those boys learn? They learn not to trust the system. They learn that being a man means being alone. No One is Attacking Women Let’s be clear: this is not about taking anything from girls or women. This is about boys and men having a space too. If a group is just for girls, people say “good for them!” But when boys want a group just for them, they’re told it’s “not fair.” That’s not equal. All-boy clubs, spaces, and safe places are not wrong. They are needed. It’s not about hate. It’s about healing. Boys need room to talk with other boys. They need male role models. They need men who’ve been through pain and made it out the other side. That doesn’t take away from anyone. It just gives boys something they’ve lost. What We Can Do So what’s the answer? Let’s start in schools. Bring in male mentors. Real men. Police officers. Soldiers. Firefighters. Dads. Uncles. Coaches. Let them sit with the boys. Let them say, “You’re not broken. You’re just growing.” Let’s build new boys’ clubs. No girls or women allowed. Not because we’re mean, but because boys need space. Real space. To talk. To laugh. To cry. To heal. That’s not against equal rights. That is equal rights—for the boys. Let’s make a new National Boys and Men’s Association. It can follow boys from middle school to college. Help them find friends. Help them find mentors. Help them find hope. We used to have places like that. They were called Boy Scouts and frat houses. Now they’re called nothing. It’s time to change that. If We Don’t Act If we don’t make space for boys to grow and talk, things will keep getting worse. More young men will give up on dating. On love. On family. More will feel afraid to speak. More will stop trying. And the saddest thing of all? Many will think it’s their fault. But it’s not. It’s our fault—for staying quiet. Let’s Be Brave Let’s not whisper about this anymore.Let’s speak loud. Let’s speak clearly. Men’s Mental Health Month is not a joke. It’s not weak. It’s not something to hide. It is brave. It is strong. It is needed. And it should be taught in schools. Celebrated in towns. Respected in the media. Supported in homes. Let’s raise boys to be proud of being boys. Let’s show them how to be good men, not silent ones. Because every boy deserves a hero. And every man deserves a month where he’s not invisible.