Young Men Tackle Mental Health Stigma at TUT Soshanguve Event.
The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Student Governance Leadership Development (SGLD) in Soshanguve hosted a young men’s breakfast session focusing on men’s mental health issues. The event aimed to encourage open conversation, reduce stigma, and promote help-seeking behaviours.
Pule Goqo, the provincial Chairperson of Gauteng Men Sector, was invited as one of the main guests for this educational session. He explained, “I came here for the session about mental health issues. The main reason is that mental health is still a problem in our country and has recently been recognised as a danger to our society. That’s why we’re here to sensitise students about mental health issues.”
Goqo continued, “We looked at this in two different ways: what causes mental health challenges and how men are affected. Most men grow up without a father figure and end up having health problems.”
“Being able to sensitise men and encourage them to seek help gives us great joy because, in our time, such opportunities weren’t available. The challenges we face today are often seen as normal behaviour in society, which could have been prevented through presentations like this. I’m grateful for the chance to speak to these young men.”
Thabang Leshabane, the Chairperson of Tshwane District Men Sector, said, “I can confirm that today’s session was helpful to the students. We saw most of them asking questions directly related to their daily lives. Many students made comments that would help themselves, and some made comments to help others in the room. You could see from their reactions that this really touched them, and they’re going to use the services offered today.”
He further highlighted, “Those who couldn’t attend the event really missed out because the information shared here was very relevant to young men. Many young men have grown up without a father figure and in communities where they were only close to women as role models.
Now they’re fathers themselves, which makes it difficult for them to support their children properly, creating a big gap in a child’s life.”
Tshepiso Matlala, the Project Administrator from Student Governance Leadership Development (SGLD), said, “We planned this event to show how we care for our young men and raise awareness. When we were planning, the response wasn’t great as we hoped more people would sign up. We were surprised by how many young people actually came, but it brings me so much joy to see so many students trying to get help and genuinely caring about their mental health.”
She concluded by saying, “This event was a success, and for us, it doesn’t matter how many students attended. Mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of gender. I feel grateful to be in this position and to help out as a woman, as this is a sensitive issue for everyone.”
