DAN BELL is planning to assemble a table of 12 Ballarat men in a bid to help them start talking about the deeper troubles in their life.
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Some men, Mr Bell said, might take months to open up. Others get straight to putting their heart on the line.
The key requirement is that they commit to supporting each other in monthly dinners, sharing and listening.
The Men's Table stared in Sydney about 10 years ago when co-founder Ben Hughes stood up at a networking event, pronounced his life was not great - he was going through a divorce and work was slowing. He wanted to know who would join him in a men's group to talk.
Twelve men would catch up each month to talk about their highs and lows and by 2019 took a deep dive into what kept them coming back - so they started new tables across New South Wales and became a registered charity.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan Bell realised his friendships were "surface level" talk, like football and work, without going any deeper and, after joining The Men's Table in Melbourne, realised a need in regional Victoria.
The charity, with federal funding, works closely to adapt to community needs with primary health networks.
In a city where the male suicide rate is one-third higher than the national average, Mr Bell said the intention to open a table in Ballarat was to break down barriers to isolation.
He will host an Entree (launch event) in town next week.
"Entrees are with 10 to 12 other people you're meeting for the first time; you're going to be nervous," Mr Bell said. "There are men who just say 'hey Dan, I live down the road and saw this story in The Courier and want to learn more'...There are men who say what brought them here.
"...National Mental Health Commission has reported how The Men's Table benefits other relationships in life. If you're becoming more and more comfortable opening up once a month, than you tend to also open up more in other relationships.
"It's really interesting. You can see an increased empathy in men at the table, not just sharing but listening to each other."
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The Men's Table does not have membership fees. Men are asked to pay for their meal while also committing to turning up at least 75 per cent of year to help foster the group bond and trust.
There are table rules, such as sharing from the heart and no trying to fix problems, or interrupting with personal anaecdotes that takes away from the person sharing.
The Men's Table now boasts 80 tables of 12 men across Australia.
Mr Bell hoped success in Ballarat might create an appetite to expand across the city and further into western Victoria.
The Men's Table Ballarat entree is at The Grand Hotel on November 16. Details via humanitix.
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