A trio who co-founded Urban Youth Project (UYP) in Pollokshields have launched a monthly coffee club which provides men with a "safe space" to talk about topics including addiction, grief, family values and relationships.
The community interest company has been running for the last 18 months and was co-founded by Nadeem Ishaque, Shoket Aksi and Ameer Din.
Nadeem has a background in mental health with his day job being a psychotherapist and Shoket is a chaplain at Glasgow University as well as a teacher of Islamic studies, while Ameer works in the NHS as a product manager.
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On the last Saturday of every month, the trio host a coffee club at their Glenapp St HQ which brings men from black and minority ethnic communities together.
Nadeem, 41, who lives in the south side of Glasgow said: "One of the things we found was a lot of dads were having issues in relationships with their children and also their family and household. They didn’t have a space to open up and learn from other dads and men.
"This is one way to change the taboo around talking about mental health. We want to create a safe space for men from these backgrounds to talk in a gentle and confidential way.
"We are using facilitation skills and splitting them into smaller groups and asking them for feedback and to ask questions and help each other out.
"The founders are three Asian men from Pakistani backgrounds and we want to use our skills and let this grow organically."
The first session on January 28 saw a turnout of 17 people, with the venue having the capacity for up to 25 people. Snacks and refreshments were also served during the two-hour session.
The UYP is currently awaiting a decision after they applied for charity status and are always looking for funding to help them grow and support the community.
Nadeem added: "The feedback has been really positive. We are opening up to the men and asking them to take the lead which is really helping them.
"It’s not a one size fits all situation. Everyone is different and comes with their own issues and barriers.
"Taking the first step is the hardest thing but we have space here that is available for men from BME backgrounds and the door is open for anyone that wants to come.
"We don’t have much space left but if there is a need we can create a waiting list or have another day. We are sharing this out to anyone and if there’s scope for anyone to come in and support us then we are happy to do that."
Those wanting to join the monthly coffee club can do so by purchasing a ticket for £5 here.
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