Vital project launches at Community Centre
Trigger warning: suicide
This month sees the launch of the Rainbow Beach Blokes community project, which is designed to provide a safe and creative space for men of all ages and backgrounds.
At the heart of the project will be the Rainbow Beach Blokes Calendar, sponsored by the Rainbow Beach Community Centre in partnership with Jess McKenzie, Rainbow’s own very talented photographer, who will be the Creative Director of the calendar project.
Local businessmen will be the focus of the 2023 calendar, which aims to support them as they recover from the stress and strain of operating during a pandemic.
‘The next few months you might bump into a photoshoot at the beach or another location around town’s most iconic places,’ Rainbow Beach Community Information and Resource Centre (CIRS) president, Elisa Seul, said.
‘We aim to increase a healthier connection of men in our community, to achieve a sense of belonging, as they contribute to the wellbeing of our community, but also need to be supported.’
These are fathers, sons, mates, workers, volunteers, pillars of society feeling a lot of pressure.
‘A tragic voluntary end of the life of a local young man has recently shaken our community to its core,” Ms Seul said. ‘It was a sad reminder that men are still the group most at risk of suicide.’
The calendar will be a tribute in memory of Timmy Janek, and the money raised from sales will be put into creating events and workshops for local blokes.
It is intended to launch and sell the calendar from November, but preorders will be available from late September.
Anyone with an idea or wanting to get involved, or just to stay up to date, can contact rainbowbeachblokes@gmail.com or make contact through Instagram and Facebook.
