Why the DUDES Club?
It’s no secret that men are resistant to go see a doctor. Indigenous men are especially at greater risk for depression and suicide. Because of historical intergenerational trauma, Indigenous men face more barriers to health care and more often face incarceration, homelessness and mental health challenges. All of which lead to higher death rates, depression, stress, and social determinants of health. For these reasons, an accessible and culturally focused program, like the DUDES Club, is extremely important for Indigenous men.
Within DUDES Clubs the hierarchy of the western medical model is flattened, and the healthcare providers who are involved prioritize cultural competence and safety, genuine connections, and support to help men navigate the healthcare system. Men can begin to drop some of their armor developed through intergenerational trauma related to loss of land, language, culture, family and identity. The program is community-driven and highlights the importance of peer champions.
Within DUDES Clubs, healthcare providers have a positive attitude towards all cultures, and focus on safety, real connections, and supporting men in navigating the healthcare system. The DUDES Club is a place where men can begin to drop some of their armor that is a result of intergenerational trauma related to loss of land, language, culture, family and identity.
A Pathway forward for Men’s Health?
Mission Statement
To facilitate a participant-led community for men’s wellness with local activity based clubs that prioritize supportive relationships, engagement in healthcare, and indigenous worldviews.
Vision
The DUDES Club’s Vision is of a renewed role for men supporting each other and their families in building wellness and strong communities.
Core Values
Relationships: We prioritize work together that begins with, and builds towards, strong relationships, with: Self, Peers, Family, Community, Elders, and the Land.
Sanctuary: Our work depends on trust, and happens within a context of non-judgmental, inclusive, compassionate, respectful, culturally safe spaces.
Brotherhood: We recognize that reclaiming, redefining, and decolonizing ideas of what it is to be a ‘man’ is essential, and that this is a process that men must undertake to support each other. Healthy, authentic, humble, courageous masculinities are core to our work.
Journey: We recognize that to be effective and sustainable in the long term, this must be patient, and sometimes slow, work. The concept of ‘Seven Generations’ also reminds us to think beyond immediate needs, and that healing is a process that happens over time, not a quick fix.
Two-eyed seeing: To move forward in a good way towards men’s wellness we must balance the strengths of both Indigenous and western ways of knowing, ensuring our clubs are places of Cultural Safety, where Dudes can reconnect to their heritage and family, through storytelling and sharing. “In a good way”, whereby the work undertaken is a sacred endeavor, connected to ceremony and ancestral wisdom, and contributes to healing.