In 2019, Dan Somers (SEOMERS) founded the charity, which is now a registered mental health charity, as a result of his passion for mental health. Dan had the idea, but it was not him. Steve (brand director) and two ambassadors work with Dan.
His idea was to break the stigma around men and mental health. A few things happened along the way in 2019, but it was supposed to be a one-time event. He didn't get as many numbers as he wanted.
Some people changed their minds and stayed at home after the Orwell Bridge was closed for a few minutes. It was a Sunday, after all. A mental health issue closed the bridge... Something struck Dan. How can someone feel alone when we held an event to change minds about mental health less than 3 miles away? This story could have ended differently, but thankfully we only have this one.
Dan (SEOMERS) wanted to run again in 2020. He decided to try something new after finding a new venue. Dates, venues, he made friends, but then COVID hit.
The event had to be moved several times.
No one talked about mental health, only lockdowns, facemasks, and bickering. By using the MANUP event page, he held group Zoom calls. The idea was to have weekly Zoom videos of men discussing mental health and life.
In a few weeks, things started to happen. The advice was requested, but we couldn't provide it. Charities started contacting us, it was like MANUP? Men talked to each other. We then started doing one-on-one videos.
Is there a reason we moved MANUP? In addition to converting an event into a 'thing,' we built a website and expanded our social media outreach. We didn't bother with being PC, we refused to script videos, we banned brand promotions, we didn't let anyone use MANUP? for any business purposes.
Our discussion focused on mental health. Usually we do not discuss mental health conditions; rather, we bounce around...the purpose was to show what others did to get out of whatever mental health bind they were in.
MANUP? came into existence. Dan decided it had to be its own thing. The videos were helped by some great people, and the artwork was done by others. Many people shared and commented.
MANUP? It took up time Dan didn't have. MANUP? Project funding was provided by SEOMERS, which caused minor disagreements. It was time to un-link SEOMERS & MANUP? since we had nothing to lose. MANUP? The charity was born when it had to wash its own face.
MANUP? The charity is one of the leading men's mental health charities in the UK. The right decision was to break away. Its mission is to end the stigma surrounding men's mental health.
MANUP? We used the tools & experience to help it turn from an idea into a registered charity that is changing lives. The program, however, is run by Dan Somers and but is no longer affiliated with SEOMERS.