Bramley Prepares for International Men's Day Celebration with Music, Poetry and Digital Art

On Monday, November 17, 2025, the quiet streets of Bramley will hum with song, verse, and pixels as residents gather for a community-led celebration ahead of International Men's Day. The free, public event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Broadlea Community Centre, 13 Broadlea Hill, LS13 2SN — a two-day prelude to the global observance on November 19. Organized by local volunteers and supported by BARCA/Being You Leeds, the gathering blends art and activism, turning a simple community hall into a space where men’s inner lives are seen, heard, and honored.

Art as a Lifeline

The centerpiece of the event is BARCA/Being You Leeds, a men’s songwriting group that’s quietly become a beacon for emotional resilience. Their original tracks — like "The River," released on World Mental Health Day 2025 — don’t just play. They plead. They confess. "It’s not about being strong," says one member, who asked not to be named. "It’s about being real. And that’s terrifying for a lot of us. But here, it’s safe." The group’s Bandcamp page now hosts over 30 tracks, many written during weekly sessions that began as a support circle and evolved into a creative movement. Another song, "Here I’m Staying," was composed after a participant lost a friend to suicide last year. "We didn’t want silence to be the answer," he told the West Leeds Dispatch.

Alongside music, local poets — some veterans of Leeds’ open mic scene, others first-timers — will read pieces about fatherhood, grief, and the weight of expectations. A digital art exhibition, curated by a team of young artists from Leeds College of Art, displays interactive projections of men’s handwritten letters, scanned and transformed into swirling visuals. One piece, titled "What I Never Said," cycles through phrases like "I’m fine," "I didn’t want to burden anyone," and "I just needed someone to ask."

Why This Matters — The Six Pillars

International Men's Day isn’t just a date on the calendar. It’s anchored in six guiding pillars: promoting positive male role models, celebrating men’s contributions to society, focusing on men’s health and well-being, highlighting discrimination against men, encouraging gender balance, and creating safer spaces for boys. The 2025 global theme — "Celebrating Men and Boys" — is a deliberate shift from awareness to affirmation. "We’re not asking for pity," says Dr. Amina Carter, a community psychologist who helped organize the Bramley event. "We’re asking for presence. For listening. For permission to be human."

That’s especially urgent in places like West Leeds, where male life expectancy lags behind the national average by 3.2 years, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 45. The Broadlea Community Centre has hosted weekly men’s well-being circles since 2022. Attendance has tripled since 2023. "It’s not therapy," one regular says. "It’s just being with other blokes who get it."

A Global Wave, Starting Local

While Bramley’s event is small, it’s part of a rising tide. On November 19, the official International Men's Day webcast — organized by the International Men's Day foundation — will stream from 3 p.m. to midnight AEDT, featuring voices from South Africa, Canada, the Philippines, and beyond. Meanwhile, Movember’s 2025 fundraising total hit $712 million globally, with £14.3 million raised in the UK alone. November has become a quiet revolution: four days — Movember (Nov 1–30), Men’s Equality Month, International Men’s Day (Nov 19), and International Children’s Day (Nov 20) — that together form what organizers call "48 hours of connection between men and boys."

"It’s not about competing with women’s issues," says local teacher Mark Ellis, who brings his 12-year-old son to the poetry readings. "It’s about realizing we’re all in the same storm. And if boys see their dads talking about feelings, they learn it’s okay to cry. That’s the legacy we’re trying to build."

Responses and Backlash

Not everyone welcomes the event. One comment on the West Leeds Dispatch article — "When is it international women’s day though eh? Bloody misogynists!" — reflects a persistent misunderstanding. But experts are clear: International Men’s Day doesn’t diminish women’s progress. It complements it. "Gender equity isn’t a zero-sum game," says Dr. Carter. "When men are emotionally supported, families are stronger. Children are safer. Communities are more stable. That benefits everyone."

The Economic Times noted in November 2025 that men are 3.5 times more likely than women to die by suicide in the UK — a statistic that hasn’t budged in a decade. Meanwhile, only 12% of men aged 18–35 report regularly speaking to someone about their mental health. "We’re not asking for special treatment," says one participant in the BARCA group. "We’re asking for the same chance to heal."

What’s Next

The Bramley team plans to turn this year’s event into an annual tradition. Next year, they hope to partner with local GPs to offer free mental health screenings on-site. The BARCA/Being You Leeds group is also in talks with NHS Leeds to pilot a music therapy program in primary schools. "We’re not waiting for permission," says group founder Daniel Rowe. "We’re just showing up. And that’s enough."