SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE RELEASES A SUICIDE CAMPAIGN FOR MEN, WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO TALK AND BE SUPPORTIVE
Key Details:
Men and boys are dying because of world-wide discrimination from UN directives
Split the Difference sends formal request to all UN Members States for the formulation of a UN Men.
Press release regarding the selling of the car to raise funds
To be able to fund a campaign for men and boys, Sally-Anne Burris the chief executive officer of Split the Difference has reached a point where she has no choice but to sell her car to fund the campaign over the next three months.
After having no ability to source funding for the work she’s doing, Sally has spent the last five years funding split the difference from her income and savings. Having no success in securing funding from normal sources for example grants or procurement and realising that her own funds were about to dry up Sally made the decision to make one last attempt to get her work funded.
An hour of your time is a campaign that has three focuses. The first is to raise awareness on the heightened rate of suicide internationally for men and boys. The second is to make a formal request to the United Nations that they formulate a UN Men to enable men and boys to have equal representation within the UN conventions, legislation and guidance. The third is to raise funds for the work split the difference does.
The work we do is to enable parity for men, it is so that children, families and communities have the ability to thrive. Where everyone has an opportunity to live within governance that doesn’t discriminate regardless of their gender.
Sally-Anne Burris says:” Some things are bigger than us, when you do the research and you look at services and you look at why men and boys don’t have the same opportunities it is not hard to see why suicide rates across the world are higher for men and boys.
“What is happening is wrong, it is below us as human beings, the impact on families and communities has a massive cost. I believe we all have a responsibility for each other, we all know someone was lost a father, brother, worse still a son. We all know fathers who have lost as children through family court processes that don’t seem to have made any sense.
“Prostate cancer, testicular cancer, these have preventative screening and yet men and boys are not provided with this. Homelessness internationally has the highest figures for men and young boys. Legislation, guidance, policy within areas like homelessness, family court, domestic abuse all of these strip men of power, in societies that are meant to respect human rights these policies refuse to allow men the same respect or choice.
“How can you not take this to the absolute limit and surrender things that mean nothing in terms of sharing the responsibility in caring for the men and boys we share the world with. There are 10 men and boys in my immediate family they range from mid-30s to 2 years old, how can I look them in the face when I know what I know and not stand up for them.”
Sally believes that we all have a responsibility to each other, the campaign is asking individuals and businesses to donate one hour of their income. Sally is producing media for the campaign, interviewing first responders, professionals, therapists, police, train drivers, and others who are expressing an interest to share their voice, their story.
There are two main questions are slightly adjustable depending on who she’s talking to, they are what were your thoughts and feelings the first time you found out someone you knew had taken their own life? The second question is if you had one more hour with them what would you say and do?
For first responders or strangers questions assign accept it says, what were you thinking the first hour after you would worked to prevent someone taking their life and if you had one more hour with them what would you say or do.
Sally says one of the major reasons for this is that when somebody is considering suicide as an option there are a few dominant thoughts that come into the equation one is that the person’s feelings, their sadness is not something they feel is fair to share with someone else, they are reluctant to burden others and sometimes there is shame particularly with men. It is also often very hard for somebody to just begin to formulate the words they need to say.
The questions are designed to be real and honest, to open authentic answers ultimately to show that in actual fact someone taking their life matters, even if that person is a stranger, they matter.
All the people Sally has interviewed so far have all said the same thing it’s never a burden and always the best choice.
The work that needs to be done by Split the Difference is something that cannot succeed without the support this campaign hopes to achieve. Sally says:” We need people who can influence society, People who are balanced who are willing to learn, understand and know what needs to be done and has the courage to positively promote the needs of men and boys.
“To continue we have no choice but to reach out and ask others to contribute.”
Split the difference has been funded by Sally for nearly 6 years in total, the organisation has a very balanced perspective and believes that everybody should have the same choice. Her work is at the level that is directly facing the UN and policy makers.
Spending the last of her assets on this campaign she says probably seems crazy, but when the truth and evidence is clearly in front of you, Sally says: “There’s no other choice available”.
How split the difference continues this work depends on the support from individuals and businesses. The initial campaign is to run until 10 December, the UK will see TV adverts on the screen, internationally Split the Difference will attempt to produce its own media, telling stories and interviewing influences.
Sally plans on requesting face-to-face meetings with influencers within each country that is a member state of the United Nations. Sally says: “Five years ago after the initial first year of research I promised myself I would do my absolute best to raise awareness and request men and boys have parity. In terms of being able to work full-time at this or being able to achieve results, I believe all you need is courage to stand up and say excuse me this is wrong and the leaders to be able to face them and say your responsibility is to serve your communities while you doing it.”
Editors Notes
Local TV will be advertising the campaign, the launch date is believed to be the first week in October it will show on local TV channels across the whole of the UK for 12 weeks.
Sally is hoping to raise awareness through TV, radio and online interviews, she has already been part of many of these but hopes the campaign will generate interest.
Stats and evidence can be supplied by Split the difference, further information can be requested regarding this by email.
The Narrative Split the Difference is promoting for men to reach out is;
Contact Details
talk2us@split-the-difference.com
Mobile: 07574067571
Tel: 03003021560
If you would like to use any of our media, please contact us.
Press Release – 12th of September 2020
Split the Difference is a new organisation created to support a campaign requesting the United Nations review all the legislation policy and strategic planning to narratively include men and boys. This campaign is the result of five years international research that showed unilateral evidence that…
Press Release 02/07/20 The launch of the Split the Difference campaign for men and boys. Split the difference has released its campaign to support men and boys asking all 195 United Nations member states to review their policies and strategies to be fully inclusive of…
Walking in Edinburg for Men and Boys.
CAPITAL MARCH CELEBRATING MEN & BOYS MOVED TO 19th June 2021
Edinburgh’s “colourful, inclusive, and positive” event celebrating Men & Boys – and highlighting the many inequalities they face in accessing services – has been moved from 20th March 2021 to the 19th June 2021…