International Mens Day - 19th November 2021

November is synonymous with many things. It is the last month before Christmas, the clocks have changed and it feels like winter is upon us once again. November is important because it brings together several events that are important to men. Since 2007 it been the month to focus on and raise money for men’s health through the annual, international Movember charity event. On 20th November it will be International Children’s Day, a 48-hour event for men and children and the special relationship they share but today 19th November we choose to recognise and celebrate International Men’s Day. It is a day to celebrate who we are, how we can do better and how we can teach our children the values, character and responsibilities of being a man. It is a day to promote positive male role models, celebrate our positive contributions to society, focus on our health and wellbeing, highlight discrimination against men, improve gender relations and promote gender equality and create a safer, better world.

Men face a series of challenges that are seldom openly discussed. We are 3 times more likely to take our own lives than women with one of us, a father, a brother, a son, a husband, a partner or a friend dying every minute of every day across the world. 1 in 3 of us have been the victims of domestic violence and on average we will die 5 years earlier than women; often of preventable causes.

Earlier this year we attended a Mental Health First Aid Course organised by Penrith Industrial BID with the goal of having at least one mental health first aider in every of the 150 businesses that make up Penrith’s Business Parks. We learnt the importance of listening without judgement, reflecting and clarifying, asking questions of ourselves and of others, to signpost and direct support to our colleagues, friends and family members.

Men are at the heart of our communities and at the centre of our profession as Architects but our dominance has often been at the detriment of women and their contribution to Architecture. Women have been consistently omitted from architectural history, side-lined in a male dominated culture that precluded their advancement and ensured their voices were never adequately heard. Today we choose to celebrate our masculinity but it should also be a time to listen, reflect and clarify who we are but also who we want to be. We will reflect on how we can improve gender relations and promote gender equality in our profession and across the construction industry and how we will support our colleagues and champion female and male Architects alike. 

Chris Staniowski - Director / Architect[email protected]Linkedin