The Mantuary

Mental health

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

SOH's Mantuary addresses the need for safe and affirming spaces for multi-generational men to gather, converse, and build on their physical, emotional, and mental needs. The Mantuary is an equity response to the desire of men for culturally relevant environments that are enriching, connecting, and supporting so that they don't have to suffer alone.
BIPOC men carry an extraordinary weight of stressors that are historical, societal, and rooted in racism. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide was the third leading cause of death for Black males ages 15 to 24; and the suicide rate rose by 19.2% between 2018 and 2021 and another 3.6% from 2021 to 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and other everyday social determinants of health, including racism, discrimination, poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and limited access to physical and mental health care were driving factors.

Launched February 2024 in South Los Angeles, the Mantuary is a safe place for multi-generational men to convene monthly for conversation, nourishment, grooming, and well-being. Men attending the Mantuary seek and attain brotherhood and receive positive reinforcement for healing and restoration. It is a positive echo-chamber where men come together to chop-it-up and share their stories, hear from speakers locally and across the nation about health and resilience, and form strong social networks for bonding and stress relief. Activities include monthly fireside conversations and wellness convenings, bi-annual retreats, quarterly bonding events, connections to mentors and well-being resources, and coping techniques workshops.

In Los Angeles County, the Mantuary is changing the narrative around "othering" and "belonging" for BIPOC men and their communities because it is a radical healing space that affirms their humanity, dignity, and right to exist. It provides an opportunity to overcome self-doubt and challenges of self-worth and empowers them to survive and thrive by having a support network to lean on and fall forward to when their physical, emotional, and mental safety is in jeopardy.

On average, more than 50 men ranging in age from 17 - 65 monthly participate in the Mantuary for physical, emotional, and mental health safety and report feeling visible and heard. Feedback from impact have included men reporting that monthly conversations, nourishment, and grooming have strengthened their body and had a positive impact on their health; stress or coping workshops or exercises reduced stress and anxiety; a mood awareness activity assisted with identifying patterns and triggers for emotional regulation; and positive connections with peers to discuss men-issues were affirming and gave them a sense of belonging. Other feedback from attendees includes reduced suicide ideations and expanded appreciation about the positive aspects of their lives.
It is our intent to scale The Mantuary by offering it in the Antelope Valley and South Bay communities due to its effectiveness in South Los Angeles.