Everybody's mental health has been challenged by the lockdowns and insecurities of the last year and it's not over. As we emerge from what we hope will be the worst of the pandemic, questions, concerns and anxieties remain. Men's Health Week 2021 (14-20 June) asks: how do we move forward?

The CAN DO Challenge

There are five days of the week and five ways to wellbeing. Can you see where we're going with this? We're calling on everyone to choose a different way to wellbeing to try each day of Men's Health Week. At the week-end, pick your favourites and do them again!

Follow the CAN DO Challenge link.

Sounds fun. What else have you got?

As well as stuff for the CAN DO Challenge, we have all sorts of free materials:

• encouraging us to talk about how we feel about where we are now in the Covid-19 pandemic - Better mental health in a Covid world
• calling for a Men's Health Strategy - Covid-19: no going back

Follow the free materials link.

Is there a new Man Manual this year?

Yes. We are launching a new manual on penis health: Size Isn't Everything. Answering the most common questions about the male tackle, it's available as a free download for the week or you can buy a hard copy at £3.95.

If we're coming out of Covid, why does mental health matter?

Even before the pandemic, men's mental health was a cause for concern. There is a grave disparity in the high number of men who die from suicide and the low number of men who seek treatment for depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges.

During the pandemic, children and young people have been disproportionately affected by lockdowns. There has also been a considerable rise in youth unemployment, while home-schooling has hit boys and young men at school and university, especially from BAME backgrounds.

Particular groups of male-dominated workforces have suffered disproportionately in terms of income and some (taxi drivers, for example) have received little support from government to compensate for this loss. Men are more likely to be in the sort of jobs that cannot easily be done from home with the result that many male-dominated workforces are also at greater risk from Covid-19. 

A Men's Health Strategy?

The UK parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Assembly will all be sitting during Men's Health Week this year.

Yes, we need an enquiry into why the UK has one of poorest records internationally when it comes to preventing Covid deaths - but we also need action now. As with individuals, it's never too late for governments to take action on mental health.

The UK government have already committed to a Women's Health Strategy. This is the ideal time to launch a Men's Health Strategy.

• Sign the petition.

You can also find the free materials and everything else from previous weeks by following the links at the top of the page..

Want to be on the list for Men's Health Week? Please sign up below.