Blue Ribbon Men’s Talks

The Blue Ribbon Foundation offers men’s health talks to organisations. Over the years, we have spoken to thousands of men about their health in an energetic, informative and sometimes humorous way. These sessions can be delivered free of charge if required.

From many building sites to Buckingham Palace, we have spoken to groups of men (and sometimes women) from ten to hundreds.

Subject matter covers most male areas of health starting with our studies of general male behaviours towards their own health. Topics covered include the major cancers, diabetes, weight, prostate, and mental health. Other subjects such as STD’s will be added on request. The time taken for the talk can vary from 30 minutes to over an hour.

In a recent talk to staff  with 40 men viewing live and 240 the on-line recording at NatWest bank we received the following comments:

“Great Session Stacey, Come on boys”.  “Excellent session”.  “Some startling statistic already! A good session to raise awareness of the importance of EARLY INTERVENTION and a general overview to raise awareness of looking after yourself.”

Outcomes have been men visiting doctors, having company occupational health checks, or making personal changes.

• I thought he was very good, willing to talk about the difficult areas openly.
• It was very informative and interesting.
• I watched the presentation with my partner and it was helpful to recognise the many ailments that can affect your health as you get older, and lifestyle changes that can improve or hopefully delay these from taking place. Thank you.
• It was interesting although quite scary in terms of the statistics and number of things that were a concern
• I thought the event was really good and engaging – I definitely learnt lots that I will share with my partner and Dad – if not even more people.
• The balance between humour and serious information was spot on. I think the messages to look after yourself and get things checked out were really motivating.
• I had never heard of the term andrology and think that something like this would be great to have more info in a session on. Also to hear more about the importance and how straight forward the checks for men are. I  guess normalising things and looking to remove any shame or embarrassment, so that more men feel able to talk about these things and go to get checked.
• I thought it was very good and I liked the speaker. It was informative of course for men but also for those of us who have men in our families/lives so we know what’s what.

Massive thank you to Jonathan Prince for delivering a talk on men’s health and wellbeing at Anglo American as part of our International Men’s Day celebrations. He tackled an important and challenging topic in an informative, light-hearted and engaging way. We’d recommend his talk to any organisations hoping to facilitate honest conversations about men’s health and wellbeing to support men in their workplace’

At Network Rail we were so pleased than Jonathan Prince MBE, co-founder of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, was able to open Men’s Heath awareness month – Movember – for us at a special event on 1st November.

It was fantastic how Jonathan talked so openly about male health topics and body parts that we are too often embarrassed to speak about openly. It’s great to normalise discussions around health and wellbeing. And I have every confidence that every time Blue Ribbon presents on it’s amazing work, explaining why men don’t do health as well as women, that a life is saved and a life is changed for the better too.

A massive thank you to Jonathan and to the whole Blue Ribbon Foundation team”

John Sidebotham, Programme Management and Wellbeing Lead, Intelligent Infrastructure Programme, Route Services.

Tony Tatoli, Venator’s Global HR Lead said: “A really great and thought provoking session. I would encourage everyone to think about their own awareness of their health and wellbeing and of others.”

“Progress has always been committed to the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of its people even before the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, we invited the British Pink and Blue Ribbon Foundations to join our EMEA Well-Being Vibes Week, entirely designed according to our employees’ preferences, to raise awareness about breast cancer, male specific cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The sessions the Foundation conducted were focused on how to spot the symptoms, what treatment is needed and what to do to prevent them in the first place. The feedback has been positive, with participants saying that these sessions were informative and reminded them of the importance of regular checkups. We’re happy that British Pink Ribbon Foundation and Blue Ribbon Foundation were part of our EMEA Well-Being Vibes Week.”

“Thank you to Jonathan Prince for delivering a fantastic session today for colleagues at Department for Education on the importance of Men’s Health & Wellbeing. Not only was it extremely informative, but it was delivered in an energetic and at times humorous way. A quick feedback poll after the session, found that 91% of colleagues rated Jonathan’s session a 5/5 stars. We hope this session will encourage our colleagues to continue the conversation of men’s health and help to combat the stigma.”

“Many thanks again for delivering your talk to our students. It was very well received and I have had a lot of positive feedback from the students, who felt that you pitched the tone exactly right and who now feel more confident about themselves and in general. They also learned a great deal which has given them a lot to think about. Thank you so much!”

We had some good feedback on the session both at the time it went out and following once people had the chance to view

C240 views of the recording on our internal site, which was excellent and dove tails nicely with the c40 people that watched it live..

Most of the feedback was verbal, but  there were a handful of comments left on the internal site:

“Great Session Stacey, Come on boys”

“Excellent session”

“Some startling statistic already! A good session to raise awareness of the importance of EARLY INTERVENTION and a general overview to raise awareness of looking after yourself.”

Overall a very successful session!

“Hi Jonathan

We found it insightful thanks.  Lots of information to take in.

I think the more casual approach is suited to our office as we’re all in advertising as you saw.”

“Thank you for providing an informative, thought provoking and humorous presentation on men’s health at OPG to mark International Men’s Day. Those attending came away with a greater awareness of how lifestyle can impact on health later in life, the importance of looking after themselves and others and how early detection and intervention can save lives.

Informative, interesting, humorous but with a serous message, importance of looking after your health, understand what to look out for, well presented, factual, honest, thought provoking.”

Vavista Wellness

“Just a quick note to say a HUGE thank you for the men’s health presentation conducted at Quantum Advisory as part of their Health and Wellbeing programme.  You covered a lot of ground in the time given and I believe raised awareness of the key issues facing the male workforce, with good advice on preventative measures, early detection and statistics.”

“Thank you for delivering and engaging, thought provoking talk on Men’s Health in Southampton.  It was very encouraging to see so many young colleagues discussing sensitive and poignant health topics both during and after the event itself.”

“On behalf of the entire Morgan Sindall project here at Pudding Mill Lane can I thank you for your time and informative sessions on the 13th.  They were very well received and I thought they provided a great platform on which to launch our week long Safety & Health campaign.  I’ve had a number of people approach me and comment on how good it was, and that was only the people that made the effort to comment, and I am sure that you managed to reach many more.  I was in one of the welfare cabins the following day and overheard a number of guys (as they do) laughing and joking about rectal examinations! I’d like to think that is a direct result of raising these health concerns, but who knows.”

Helpful Organisations

“Men Who Talk” was founded in recognition of the need to engage men in the UK more with support services. Although men make up a significant number of referrals to mental health units, and suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45, many services still struggle to engage men in a meaningful way.

“Men Who Talk” offers a different, less intensive space where men can support each other online, sharing what they wish. This is not counselling or therapy, but a chance for men of all backgrounds to, through the power of chat and conversation,  see that it is OK to receive help and to talk to others. For more information, visit our website www.menwhotalk.org

The ManKind Project UK&I, a charity that supports all men to establish and pursue their own life purpose and nurture their emotional wellbeing. The ManKind Project UK&I is part of a global network that has been offering men transformational experiences and supporting them in confidential peer-facilitated men’s groups since 1984.

https://mankindprojectuki.org/

Look Good Feel Better – For Men

Having successfully supported women for more than 25 years, independent national cancer support charity, Look Good Feel Better, introduced a programme in 2018 to support men undergoing cancer treatment.   The programme was developed after extensive research highlighted a distinct lack of support for men living with cancer.

The charity holds ‘Skin Fitness’ workshops at local hospitals and cancer support centres, offering advice on skincare and shaving/grooming and problems that you may be facing as a result of your cancer treatment.  Run by volunteer skincare experts and local barbers, it’s an opportunity to ask questions and meet others in a similar situation.

One beneficiary, Bob, comments: “It’s so good to finally see someone is taking an interest in the care and support available to men during and after treatment for cancer.  It’s not easy for us guys to talk about skincare issues or to adopt any kind of routine.  Advice was short and given by well-meaning female family members but as with all things cancer, it doesn’t always meet the need. Today, finally I met your team who not only empathised but gave good advice and were very supportive. ”

Other services include a ‘Manual for Men’, a detailed booklet provides expert information on skincare, shaving and grooming, oral health, how to dress/what to wear as well as advice on nutrition and fitness. A series of on-line tutorials covers information on how to manage dry skin, how to dress for your shape and how to disguise redness.

For more information, please go to www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/men

How to get in touch:

Jonathan Prince, Trustee

Crofton House, 5 Morley Close
Orpington
Kent
BR6 8JR

(t) 01689 858877

(e) enquiries@blueribbonfoundation.org.uk.