Continuing with our culture of giving back, RE Royalties is pleased to share that we have donated $25,000 to HeadsUpGuys, a leading global resource and program of The University of British Columbia.
HeadsUpGuys is an online resource that was developed to support men in their fight against depression and suicide by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success. It is the only resource of its kind in Canada, and one of the very few such resources anywhere that is specifically dedicated to men with depression.
Depression affects millions of men every year, and is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Unfortunately, a lot of men buy into myths about depression, such as, "it’s a sign of personal weakness or real men don’t ask for help," that prevent them from reaching out to others to build the support team necessary for successfully fighting depression.
Worldwide, men account for about three times the number of suicides compared to women.
Untreated depression is one of the major risk factors for suicide.
We are losing far too many men to silence and suicide, as men try to bear the burden of battling depression alone.
Since launching in June 2015, HeadsUpGuys has made a huge impact:
3,000,000 website visits (over 60,000/month) from around the world.
More than 20 million people reached through ongoing social media promotions and campaigns.
More than 300,000 self-checks completed.
Over 100 media features.
Over 70 sites linking to them as a formal resource.
HeadsUpGuys Community Members and Supporters at various events.
Additional Stress and Mental Health Challenges During COVID-19
HeadsUpGuys also led a recent study involving 434 Canadian men, tackling topics such as depression and suicide.
79% of the respondents indicated that their mental health was negatively affected by COVID-19.
With unemployment, social isolation, and fear for safety being ever-present, the psychological impacts of the pandemic can’t be ignored. Compounding the effects of these factors is the persistent stigma that surrounds mental health difficulties, which can impede men’s efforts to reach out for help.
RE Royalties recognizes the importance of mental health and the unique barriers that men face. With COVID also adding to everyone’s stress, it’s an important time to focus on our mental health and lead by example through our support of HeadsUpGuys.
Our corporate donation will be supporting HeadsUpGuys in the following ways:
1. Hiring a Content Creator
Their ‘How to” and “tip” articles, focused on different facets of life that are impacted by depression and suicidality are some of the most frequently visited pages on HeadsUpGuys and also provide highly sharable material for social media engagement. For example, the articles How to reframe negative thoughts and How to stop thinking about suicide) are top ranking resources. Hiring a content creator will enable HeadsUpGuys to create content on a more frequent and consistent basis. This will allow them to create more specific articles on a wider range of topics that all influence depression in men, as well as how people in different roles in a man’s life, such as friends, family members, and co-workers can also help. This is a key request HeadsUpGuys made with RE Royalties, as limited staff hours currently prevent their ability to deliver all the content their visitors need.
2. Online Mental Health Communication Training Tool
Better health starts with a conversation. Though it may be difficult or awkward at first, starting a conversation about depression could end up saving someone’s life.
HeadsUpGuys will be developing a brief online training module to educate people in the community about having conversations around mental health with men and how to direct them to appropriate resources and services. Similar to mental health first aid training, but focused specifically on men and delivered online, this will be a critical tool for helping increase mental health literacy and developing peer support in the community.
This will help HeadsUpGuys make an important contribution to the broader community, as more and more people are trained to talk to others about mental health (important conversations that we often have difficulty starting).
HeadsUpGuys has become a much-respected tool for raising awareness, creating connection, and empowering change. Where suicide and depression thrive on isolation and feelings of helplessness, HeadsUpGuys offers millions of men a safe and accessible space to engage their feelings, legitimize their health journey, and develop life-sustaining habits of self-care. RE Royalties is proud to support this life-saving resource.
RE Royalties is a publicly traded company on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “RE” and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol, RROYF.
Comments