Key UC Contact
hello@ladswithoutlabels.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram @ladswithoutlabels.
What We Did
Lads Without Labels runs a range of programmes focused on mental and physical wellbeing, from a conversation session every Wednesday, a running group aimed at building a sense of brotherhood, and collaborations with artists to raise money for mental health charities in Christchurch.
One of our initiatives is the Ugly Boys Running Club, where 40 UC male students train to together to run the Queenstown Marathon. The beautiful thing is that no one has any experience in running. We are there to motivate each other to reach our goals.
The charity also held its second Cocktails for Change event in August 2021, where former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen and writer and activist Jazz Thornton spoke about their own experiences with mental health.
Lads Without Labels has been exploring ways to offer more support. We’re developing a peer support network, led by students for students, which it aims to launch in 2022.
Who Was Involved
We have partnered with some amazing people and organisations so far to put on some incredible initiatives and events. The list includes:
Lululemon, Meights, Movember NZ, AECOM, Miles Construction, Aurecon, Trollope & Co, Fulton Hogan, MD Century, Umbrella, MAS, Naylor Love, Armitage Williams, Generation Homes, Powell Fenwick, Cook Costello, ENGCO, Beca, Sumner Longboarders / SURFable Sessions, QTopia, The White Room, Kyla, Lee Richardson, Aaron Kong and the list goes on
Why It Matters
University of Canterbury has a strong club culture with over 180 clubs, but after a tragic event involving a student, we realised that not one of them was related to well-being. Lads Without Labels set out to change that.
New Zealand has one of the worst mental health statistics in the world, with men being affected by it the most. Men often face stereotypes that they have to be strong, tough, and can’t show emotions. We want to break that stigma and highlight that it is okay to be vulnerable. It is okay to not be okay.
We do it for the men in our life, as we all have men we care about.
Learn More
To follow our journey and help normalise the conversation around men’s mental health follow us on Facebook and Instagram or contact us at hello@ladswithoutlabels.org.
Sign up on to our Charity via the link on our Facebook page.
