Providing Outlets for Positive Masculinity to Two High-Risk Populations

Coming Home: Veterans Unpack the Invisible Wounds of War
On September 20th, Timothy Laidlaw, veteran of the war in Afghanistan, along with our faculty member Dr John Oliffe, met with Rona Ambrose, M.P., to discuss men’s mental health issues, with a focus on men in the military. As part of the visit, The Honourable Geoff Regan, P.C., M.P. , Speaker of the House of Commons, with Joyce Murray, M.P., co-hosted a special invitation-only performance of Contact! Unload, a 15-minute theatre performance featuring Canadian veterans telling their stories of transitioning back to civilian life.

According to the Speaker’s invitation:

This compelling and honest theatre piece was recently shown at Canada House in the UK for Princes Harry and Andrew, and it has been performed 12 times. This Men’s Health initiative is co-developed and performed by graduates of the Veteran’s Transition Program—one of the most successful programs for returning veterans in the country.

The performance was followed by a Q&A session between the veterans and MPs and then an open discussion was held on how legislators might increase the rate of access to veteran support services.

For more on this initiative, please visit: http://menshealthresearch.ubc.ca/

Submitted by: Joanna Ho, for Men’s Health Research