MAS Foundation: Helping men tackle their own health and wellbeing with Men's Health Trust
By MAS Team
MAS Foundation is MAS's philanthropic arm, and supports community-led approaches to funding projects that address health and wellbeing equity issues in Aotearoa. MAS Foundation is committed to working alongside communities to help them find their own solutions.
In this series, we profile some organisations and initiatives MAS Foundation has supported, and find out how partnering with MAS Foundation helped them make an impact.
Supporting Men's Health Trust
In early 2020, MAS Foundation gave Men's Health Trust a grant to help them launch their Goodfellas programme. This initiative works with Pasifika and Māori men in South Auckland, bringing them together with their communities and whānau to help them improve their communication techniques and coping strategies.
Men's Health Trust acts as an information hub for men around Aotearoa and connects them to health and wellbeing services, as well as holding events and running campaigns.
Its chair, Pulotu Selio Solomon, says the support came at a perfect time for the organisation as the team figured out how to deliver programmes digitally during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Who is Selio Solomon?
Selio Solomon's background set him up to become a leader in men's health.
Having seen his own father - who migrated to New Zealand from Fiji - have a mental breakdown in his 30s, he saw there was no avenue for men like him to talk about the issues they were going through.
Selio, who is also an education manager for the Ministry of Education, joined the board of Men's Health Trust in 2016, and is proud to bring a Pasifika lens to the organisation.
What is the Goodfellas programme?
A grant from MAS Foundation helped Men's Health Trust adapt during the COVID-19 crisis and help men through stress and anxiety exacerbated by the pandemic. Selio says the programme is a response to working with men who wanted to improve their problem-solving and communication skills, as well as their health and fitness.
"Through this programme, we were able to teach strategies around dealing with anger, communicating better, eating and exercise, which ultimately brings families together," says Selio.
Why has MAS Foundation supported the Goodfellas programme?
MAS Foundation heads Dr Julie Wharewera-Mika (Tangata Whenua) and Mafi Funaki-Tahifote (Tangata Tiriti) believe Goodfellas is a great example of a project that lets communities find and lead on their own solutions.
"We are committed to whakamana (empower) the people, whānau and communities we engage with to identify and determine their own needs and aspirations," says Julie.
"The problem lies in our communities and so too, are the solutions. It was great to see Pasifika men step out of their own struggles towards finding their own solutions through the Goodfellas programme," says Mafi.
Find out more about MAS Foundation's kaupapa and read more grant stories.
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