Planning ahead for Father’s Day 2024
While Father’s Day in Australia falls on Sunday, September 1, several organisations are asking people to plan ahead this year for two major events that they hope will put dads’ mental health in full focus.
Grab Life By the Balls, a Sunshine Coast-based men’s mental health charity run by Sam Parker, is planning to break the record for the world’s largest barbecue from September 1-8.
Sam is calling on people to host and attend barbecues, registering their attendance at grablifebythebbq.com.
The longest-recorded barbecue attendance is 45,252 held by Mexico at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Nuevo León on 18 August 2013.
“The barbecue has a big thing to do with Australian culture, so it’s interesting the last time I checked we have no world records, so let’s do something about that,” Sam told the Sunshine Coast News.
Barbecues are a focal point of Grab Life by the Balls, with ‘snags and chin wags’ held in multiple locations from Mooloolaba in Qld to Warrnambool in Victoria. Grab Life by the Barbecue is a natural extension as Father’s Day becomes an opportunity to “ignite conversations, break records and create positive change in men’s mental health.”
Funds raised will help Grab Life by the Balls expand social events for blokes and grow the network to 100 locations across Australia, and also help the charity develop peer support programs for men and boys.
Before, or after your BBQ, consider joining Man With A Pram on 1 September to raise funds and awareness for new dads and young families.
Organisers are asking participants to set the goal of raising $205 for the 205 dads who will experience depression today. People can start their own MWAP walk, join another group or donate.
Every dollar raised goes towards perinatal mental health programs impacting dads, their partners and their children.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia kicks off ‘The Long Run’ in September, which asks participants to run, walk or ride 72km for men with prostate cancer, Australia’s leading cause of cancer. This is another great way to get active throughout Prostate Cancer Awareness month in September and to make sure fathers, brothers, sons, husbands and mates are there for the long run.
SMS4Dads, including SMS4DeadlyDads is a phone hot line for dads wanting immediate answers in their parenting journey. The innovative service allows new dads to sign up and receive text messages and support straight to their phones from 12 weeks into pregnancy and throughout the first year. The SMS4Dads website also contains many useful articles for dads and professionals. Some have a focus on Aboriginal dads and others are from a fatherhood research angle.
SMS4Dads recently partnered with Aga Khan University to test SMS4baba, sending texts in Swahili, and teamed up with researchers from Colombia to translate texts into Spanish. With interest from Canada, Iceland, England, Japan and Denmark, SMS4dads is working on sending texts all over the world in multiple languages. Read more
SMS4dads was developed by Assoc Prof Richard Fletcher and his team at The University of Newcastle to help bridge that gap for new and soon-to-be fathers.
Dads in Distress provides 100% free, confidential and non-judgemental support to dads who are going through a separation, in particular separation from their children. The service has been running since Father’s Day in 1999, and is led by dads who have lived experience of family separation and associated feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety and hopelessness. The helpline operates 7 days a week on: 1300 853 437. In addition, there are many support groups – both online and in person – for dads. View calendar.
Relationships Australia Victoria hosts free online sessions specifically for dads. These DadsStuff seminars cover the 7 types of dad, healthy family relationships, bonding with your kids, connecting with other dads and ‘dads at work’. The next two 90-minute sessions will take place on the 6th and 13th of November from 7-8.30pm AEDT. Register here