The Men’s Discussion Group

The Men’s Group at PTP West recently finished a 9 week session. The men’s discussion group aims to foster reflection, self-knowledge and personal development. The discussions take place in a safe, and respectful environment. It allows the participants to express themselves in a group setting and to develop listening skills. The agenda usually includes several topics about life; discussions are centred around a quotation, poem, article or some piece of writing. Bert Providence from the Toronto Public Library’s Adult Literacy Program is the facilitator of the group. He has led similar groups before, such as More than a Haircut: The Barbershop Project. Bert starts and facilitates the discussions: “I try not to preach but I share my views and sometimes challenge accepted thinking.” The discussion is more animated when it is about issues that pertain specifically to men. Over the 9 weeks the group spoke about values, privilege, discipline, addictions, relationships, divorce, racism, gender roles and sexuality among other things.

“Generally the men follow the ground rules and are respectful and share the stage,” says Bert. “The biggest challenge is to get most of the participants to talk. I want us to learn from each other’s experiences, so even if they don’t talk , they can still connect with the ideas and insights expressed. Most of all they are communicating with their peers and this helps build community, I think. Initially I think there was a lot of resistance to being in a group like this and some dropped out quite early. There is still some of that mindset that prevents many men from opening up.”

A participant’s experience

“On Tuesdays the men at PTP take part in discussions that are really helpful in our everyday lives. The group is lead by a gentleman named Bert who works for the Toronto Public Library.

We talk about lot of different things like racism, stress, politics, sport etc. There are men with different ethnic backgrounds and beliefs so that makes the conversations very interesting. We try to respect each other’s opinion and sometimes agree to disagree on really hot topics.

There is always something to take away from the group. It’s an environment where men can be open and speak how they really feel. The group has helped me be more confident when speaking in front of large groups of people. I also learned that with age comes more responsibility and you see life differently from when you’re a kid. All the guys are great and I found out that I have a lot in common with some of the guys that I didn’t talk to before. Groups like these are good for men that tend to be reserved or shy so they can work on their people skills. I would like PTP to keep the group going for others that might attend the program in the future.”