May is Mental Health Awareness Month and tomorrow brings an event to Hanoi aiming to raise funds for a new mental health hotline for Hanoi and Vietnam.
The event itself will include spoken-word performances and talks on subjects such as anxiety, addiction and recovery, with one speech by psychotherapist Douglas Holwerda. There will also be a raffle, a standup comedy act, a music video screening and a concert by Rebel Monk.
The event is hosted by ‘Void’ (mental health conversations for men), which is an online Facebook group founded by Ian Paynton. The group, he says, is an online space where men can share the sort of stuff they might not feel comfortable sharing on their public timelines.
“It seemed like there was a massive gap in social networks generally for male-based mental health conversations,” says Paynton. “Void is mainly about having a place to open up in, and for members to say how we really feel. A place to meet like-minded men (and those who can relate to the male experience), where we can talk about everything from “what our dads were like” to stress, anxiety, depression, gratitude…”
Though the Facebook group is for men, the new hotline will be for all people.
The event will take place from 7.30pm to 10.30pm at Standing Bar, 170 Tran Vu, Truc Bach.
