Coffee and a chat for men’s health

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Nathan Keti believes there’s a void in the community when it comes to men’s mental health.

It’s why the Hoppers Crossing resident started organising a weekly walk and talk with other men in the municipality.

“We grab a coffee, we go for a walk down to Werribee River and we get the men to partner up with people they don’t know and they talk,” Mr Keti said.

“It’s important for men to feel seen and to feel heard and to have a stranger show interest.

“We open the spot for sharing what happened throughout the week, wins, or tricky situations, or if they don’t want to speak, they don’t have to, there’s no pressure to share and then we do some meditation, breath work and offer some tools about how to navigate these issues.”

Mr Keti said it was his own journey towards healing that lead him to understand the need for action.

“There’s a lot of talk but not a whole lot of action,” he said.

“Once a year we do our social media post about men’s mental health, and we’re like ‘that’s it, see you later’.

“It’s no good just saying ‘wish you had talked to me’ when they’re dead and buried.”

The group is intended to be as accessible as possible and any man over the age of 14 can meet the group every Sunday at 7.15am outside Notorious Espresso Cafe in Werribee.

Details: www.instagram.com/nateketi/