Aku Makawa, a Doctoral Researcher at Loughborough University, has been invited to be a part of a panel discussion taking place at the Include Summit on Tuesday 8th October.
The Include Summit is taking place at the Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford and focusses on equality, diversity and inclusion in sport. The panel discussion, which will take place on the main stage, will discuss men’s mental health and wellbeing and explore the potential, pressures and power of sport.
Points that will be discussed include:
- Why men’s mental health? why not everyone?
- Mental health or mental wellbeing – what are we talking about?
- Sport – more than just moving to feel better – a vehicle for community, a safe space for discussion
- Mental health and definitions of masculinity – why is it hard to talk?
- How to talk about mental health and wellbeing – for coaches, parents, players and participants
- Takeaways from the session – what you can do, where you can explore more
Speaking alongside Aku on the panel will be:
- Richie Etherington-Benson, Sports Project Lead, Beyond Equality – (Moderator)
- Paul Williams, Director, Young Men’s Health Improvement (Europe), Movember
- Ben Grey, Community and Events Fundraising Manager, Sport in Mind
Aku’s PhD is match funded by Mind, the mental health charity, and supervised by Dr Florence Kinnafick and Dr Gemma Witcomb at Loughborough University and Hayley Jarvis (Head of physical Activity at Mind). His work is looking at trauma informed practice in sport and exercise programmes run for people who have mental health difficulties.
The panel discussion will take place at 11.25am on Tuesday 8th October. The Include Summit runs for two days on the 8th and 9th October.