Special Chapel for International Men's Day

Today, November 19 is International Men's Day and St Peter's is proud to be celebrating the positive male role models in the lives of our pupils and staff, as well as use the opportunity to raise awareness and funds for important causes such as Movember and Men's mental health. Head Boy Alex and a group of Sixth Form pupils spoke in a special Chapel service which we have attached below. We hope you enjoy. 

INTRODUCTION

Alex: Good morning, everyone. Today we would like to share some thoughts on International Men's Day. From its creation in the 1990s, International Men’s Day has aimed to draw attention to key problems such as abuse, suicide, and violence that continue to affect men around the world. It is a global awareness day celebrated in over 80 countries with the aim of highlighting social issues which men face today both physically and mentally. According to the Samaritans, in 2024 the male suicide rate in the UK was 17.1/1000 men, with 14 men dying by suicide every day. That means that by the end of today, 14 brothers, dads, boyfriends and sons will have lost their lives.  This morning, we’d like to take a few moments to reflect on what we can all do in light of that frightening statistic. 

ADDRESS

Joss: Conversations about masculinity are often framed around what’s broken, or that men don’t talk enough. Whilst this is fundamentally true, today we’d like to celebrate what’s working. This year’s theme is Supporting Men and Boys. We’d like to celebrate and demonstrate what positive support for men and boys looks like.  

Our slogan for this year: ‘Chat to a mate’, sounds simple, but we believe it means much more. Communication amongst men and all genders is not as high as it could be. Simply chatting to a mate about feelings can take pressure off your mind and help with mental health struggles. 
Florence: Role models are important figures in everyone’s lives; they demonstrate practices and characteristics for others to follow. We’d like to talk about 2 of our favourite male role models from the past year especially.

Firstly, Gareth Southgate, the former England football player and manager. Gareth spoke about how toxic influencers aim to normalise misogynistic and domineering behaviours amongst young men. He spoke of how instead, young men should be listening to effective role models, who show resilience in tough situations. Gareth is one of those people. He rose up from monumental setbacks in his playing career to become one of England men’s footballers most successful managers in recent times. 

Cormac: Our second male role model is someone close to the St Peter’s community, Nick Stephen, better known as Paddy’s son. Nick epitomises resilience, selflessness and determination, through his own battle with mental health. He acknowledged that he needed help, through no fault of his own, showing true values of honesty and acceptance. He then used his incredible story of how something out of his control such as rugby concussions to raise incredible amounts of money for others. Nick’s values of respect for others, honesty, and positivity are those what we should strive to attain ourselves. 
Millie: This year, International Men’s Day also encourages us to support charities and initiatives that improve the wellbeing of men and boys. Whether it’s mental health services, mentoring programs, or fatherhood support groups, we encourage you all to utilise and support the great work that they do. One example of such a charity is York Mind, one which Nick donated vast sums to, supporting both men and women with mental health struggles. 

Jom : We also recognise that men come in all forms. Men may be of different backgrounds, cultures, orientations, and experiences, however we are all men. Celebrating men means celebrating diversity.

International Men’s Day is not about elevating one gender over another. It’s about inclusion. It’s about acknowledging that men, too, face unique challenges, mental health struggles, societal expectations, and the pressure to conform to outdated stereotypes. This movement is all about creating space for men to be expressive and be comfortable in themselves. 
Kit: So what can we do beyond today? We can start conversations, check in on our friends, and challenge harmful stereotypes.

We can commit to being role models ourselves, and not waiting for someone else to portray those values. Building a better world for men and boys, in turn creates a better society for everyone. Please join us today, chat to a mate, and help to build a better society for everyone.

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