Started in 2022 by friends and co-founders Alex Beschea and Pierre Kahwaji, the UBC Men’s Mental Health Club (MMHC) has become a space focused on building community and supporting men through a variety of events designed to promote positivity and self-improvement.
The Ubyssey last interviewed the MMHC right after it was founded, and since then the club has gained new members, hired an executive team and put on numerous events. We sat down with Co-Presidents Beschea and Kahwaji to find out more about the club’s journey and what impact it has made on the UBC community thus far.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are some achievements you’re proud of as a club since [your last interview]?
AB: When we first started out, we had an idea and an ambition, and I think one of the biggest components of that ambition was to build a community.
What we've gotten better at over the years is creating opportunities for members to keep coming back on a much more regular basis, creating that foundation of that community, so that people are always there to support each other.
In terms of where the club is at now, what can someone expect when they attend one of your events?
PK: Whether you're looking for a constructive conversation [or] to get physically active or you want to volunteer and support your community, there's so many different avenues through our club … Any student on campus can look at the events we have for the week and choose what they’re interested in.
AB: I also want to say that there's no cookie cutter stereotype of guy that we prioritize or we encourage. We have a lot of diversity in personality types. Whether you're a loud, extroverted gym bro or you're more on the quiet side — everybody is there for that common purpose, which is to support each other and to help each other achieve their goals.
Do you see any additional benefits in creating this space that's predominantly men beside the similarity in gender?
PK: I think why the guys who show up are actually able to open up to a group they've never met before is that they can look at each person and see themselves. We're all students on campus. We all probably go through similar types of struggles.
There's this “no-judgment zone” between guys. It's not like “I have to say this to impress this girl.” We're all guys here. We can be 100 per cent transparent and honest. And I think that's really rare to have.
Do you focus on dating/relationships, or does it come up at all?
PK: We're almost demanding our members to become better men. And by extension, the better the man you are, the healthier your relationships will be, and the [better] you'll be able to navigate them and navigate struggles that come up.
I mean, we are the men's mental health club, but how can you become a better person? A good metric for that is how are your relationships? How are your close friendships? How are your romantic relationships? Your relationship with your parents? Because it's a big part of your identity … Those are the kind of ideas we like to promote, because it really gets you in that action-oriented thinking.
How do you decide what your discussion topics will be about and how do you go about structuring the discussions to be productive?
AB: All of our discussions will always be based off a reputable pool of knowledge, [such as] a favourite book … in the mental health self-help community. Everything that we will channel to our members is already an established form of teaching.
[Our discussions are] always a conversation. It's never a lecture or what you have to do, but rather, “this is what worked for me” — that's how the conversation starts. It's just sharing ideas.
What are some events you guys are looking forward to for the upcoming semester?
PK: Every Tuesday evening, we have our discussions, and we have the list of our discussions for this term on our Instagram.
If you just attend one discussion, I think that's really the best way that you'll see what this community is like — the kind of conversations we're having and the kind of direction you gain from showing up.
I'm most excited for a lot of the collabs we're doing [with other clubs]. I think our collab events are some of the best ones we do, because it really builds that community aspect.
Find more information about the MMHC and a list of future discussion topics on their Instagram, (@ubcmmhc).
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