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What is CALM? Why is CALM? Who is CALM? Here’s what Sumo learnt after having spoken with Neil Hannah, (CALM Bedfordshire’s co-founder, Co-ordinator and director of promotion through music and sports) about CALM, its organisation, it’s objectives and issues surrounding its promotional activities.
How many times a day do you ask or are asked at least one of the above? When did these important words become meaningless salutations and hollow rhetorical questions? British Telecom’s slogan used to be “it’s good to talk” so what changed? Of course it’s good to talk. Moreover, when lives are at stake, it’s not only good but vital. Something’s not right with young people today. If you’re reading this then it is likely that you are living in “The Western world…The first world…The free world.” Yet how many of us would say that our lives are like heaven on earth? Even with all the industrial, medical, technological and intellectual advancements that await each generation, everybody still has to endure the storms and stresses of adolescence and early adulthood - and signs are, it’s getting harder every generation. In a recent BMJ report, Dr McClure perceives a “crisis of confidence among this generation of young people. Another contributor to the report, London’s adolescent health doctor Dr. Russell Viner prromulgates a grim prognosis: "This generation will be the most infertile and most obese in the history of mankind and it might also have the worst mental health." If humanity is supposedly advancing, why are its young people more disconsolate than ever? The tragic irony is that whilst centuries of medical, social and political development have meant that the average life-span of somebody living in the west is well into the mid ‘70s, teenage and youth suicide is at an all time high. There are over 5000 recorded suicides in England and Wales per year. Many more attempted suicides end up in hospital and 5% of those attempts will become actual suicides within five years. Alarmingly, suicide is now the second most common cause of death among young people. Glasgow-based Health psychologist Dr Rory O'Connor believes the growing suicide rate is one generation’s desperate cry for help; urging society to address the wider underlying issues behind the shocking statistics. Commenting during a recent BBC news article, he spoke bluntly about the factors fuelling this mounting catastrophe: "We place higher expectations on our young people and we are not training our young people with the skills needed in a changing society.”
The gendered difference between attempted and actual suicide is significant. Attempted suicides are often a last cry for help. Men don’t provide those who might want and be able to help with a warning or cry for help – hell! They deny those that could help them a first cry so of course a final cry for help is unlikely. During rap-spinal tap movie fear of a black hat, rapper Tasty Taste presents a laughable caricature of manliness, telling his interviewer that a man should never be seen to be smiling even when he is orgasmically happy. Indeed! When it comes to men expressing and dealing with life’s highs and lows alike, most men exhibit tacit capitulation to an exhausting social convention which dictates the denial of human vulnerability from behind a manly poker face. Neil laments "There is massive pressure on men not to show any 'weakness' and to deal with problems on their own." Furthermore, when men do express distress and stress, it tends to be done through outwardly aggressive and violent anti-social acts that serve only to alienate them from those they so really need. Whereas self-harm, eating disorders, crying and explicit manifestations of low self esteem are characteristically female symptoms, men will drink, smoke, fight, beat, shout and kick their way further into isolation and frustration. The British health and social services are already bursting with initiatives and both NHS and plenty independent organisations are there to help but men aren’t using them. There appears to be a huge taboo concerning male mental health and about seeking help from the institutions put in place for this sole purpose. With a mixture of annoyance and regret, Neil observes “Males are known as poor users of health services and suffer more than women when it comes to accessing health services regarding depression, drugs, sexual health issues etc.” Traditionally, society is geared largely in favour of men and maybe misplaced pride in this perceived superiority is part of the problem. For many reasons, including (as Neil jokingly catalogues) “Ego, changing roles in society, Womens’ lib - oh, and Sex and the City,” men are ashamed of admitting distress, weakness and illness that cannot be attributed to external factors. It’s weird: if somebody’s toilet stopped working, there’d be no hesitation in calling in a plumber. If somebody broke their leg nobody would expect them to grin and bare it. So why then, when external factors in life start to mess up a man’s mind, are men so scared? Anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear are unpleasant but as natural and perhaps more normal than many physical injuries. There is nothing unusual nor shameful about depression and mental illness. Everybody will undergo at least one period of neurosis in their lifetime, 15% will suffer a serious depressive episode and it is believed that up to 5% of us shall suffer a severe psychotic episode. Still, far more important than those scary statistics is the fact that depression is common, treatable - and there are people out there wanting to help you.
CALM is here for you.
The call statistics speak volumes about the real need for such an organisation and CALM’s discernible success. Whereas most other helplines are called predominantly by women, 67% of callers to CALM are men. The helpline receives around 8000 calls per year resulting in often long and in-depth exchanges. The majority of these 8000 callers are calling for the first time and two thirds of the 100 or so young men who call each week are not in touch with any other services when they contact CALM. Whilst CALM distinguishes itself from other comparable services by aiming chiefly at young men, “Everyone who calls will receive an equal service regardless of age, gender, cultural background or sexuality." CALM advisors are always willing to talk with somebody if they are looking for advice - or simply seeking reassurance concerning the situation of a friend, relative, child or partner.
Neil hopes that CALM’s alliance with the cream of UK hiphop’s live circuit will bring many mutual benefits: “Credibility, respect for the artists sincerity and association with CALM.” Certainly, a line-up of Yungun, Skinnyman, Jehst, Blade, Phi Life Cypher, Inja and their crews constitutes the best that hiphop from London and the Home Counties has to offer in 2004. When asked about the criteria for selecting UK rap acts to be invited to get involved with CALM, Neil is quick to reason “CALM needs to be cutting edge. The content of the lyrics are very relevant.” Relevant certainly but not necessarily appropriate. Whereas Yungun’s celebratory party anthems and Blade’s bold brand of feel-good defiance offer hope and rousing entertainment, The lyrics of Jehst more often tend to repackage than to deal with the dangerous cycles of vane self-delusion and self-handicapping that plague young males. Likewise, Skinnyman’s reincarnation of the NWA-esc reality rap anti-hero persona, and all the ambivalent depictions of violence and self-loathing that entails, presents a post 2pac muddled tangle of paranoia, groundless bravado and implied hopelessness dwarfing a few token aspirational messages. Furthermore, celebrations and glorification’s of habit-forming depressants such as alcohol and marijuana rank high in the stock of subject matter on which most UK hiphop acts draw. The decision to pair this stock of subject matter with CALM’s cause is, to say the least, questionable. Neil is quick to rebuke any negative inferences drawn from the coupling of the CALM cause with such groups and their fuel-injected repertoire: “No, these rappers can inform from experience - check the lyrics; it’s all positive from a negative.” Maybe, but the ideological conflicts between CALM and those it enlists to promote its cause do not stop with spliffs and “liquor-soaked sentiments.” Neil’s pride at having enlisted the services of outspoken Luton trio Phi Life Cypher can barely be contained “They are one of the biggest acts in the UK and live in Bedfordshire – they do have lots of local/national relevance.” This is true but, as well as being one of the nation’s best live hiphop outfits, Phi life Cypher are notorious for their voicing of strongly-held, if not always well-founded views. Giving a public platform to Phi Life, a group known for their negative perception of homosexuality could be seen as implied endorsement by CALM of such views which, in turn, may serve to alienate CALM from a segment of youth it most needs to reach. Self-esteem and identity crises are a major factor in teenage male depression and, according to both US and UK statistics, Young gay people are up to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts; accounting for nearly a third of all actual suicides. On this touchy detail, Neil Hannah affirms that the whole point of the event and the organisation is to afford young men the opportunity to freely unburden whatever’s weighing on their mind without fearing personal reproach. CALM and the artists employed to promote it are there to show (often by example) that everybody’s different, nobody’s perfect and that there can never be meaningful acceptance without there first being honesty. Not even successful rappers have carefree, unblemished lives – and even if they did and spoke about that in their music, there’d be little opportunity for their audience to empathise nor then benefit from music made by improbably pristine people.
When asked how he will gauge the achievement of The 2004 CALM Urban Games and its other community spin-offs, Hannah states “success will be measured by attendance, press coverage and anecdotal feedback.” Turn out was satisfactory and, so far, feedback from performers and attendees alike has been encouraging. Hopefully, with time, corporate sponsorship and further partnership with other local organisations and businesses will allow CALM to become bigger and better; establishing new regional branches and booking more relevant acts from both sides of the Atlantic to promote them. Ultimately, CALM’s Holy Grail would be its redundancy through more enlightened attitudes and better living conditions. unfortunately, one glance at any hiphop message board, lads magazine, pub fight or glance out the window will show that we’re a long way from that still…So…until then…
© Copyright 2004 CD Goldie for ukhh.com
CALM Zone and Urban Games
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0086 added
26.09.04 words Sumo Kaplunk
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Spoon
How are you?
What’s up?
How’s things?
Alright mate?
Since you’re reading this, chances are you’re a male under thirty and you need to speak to somebody about something but are reluctant to do so. Almost certainly coupled with your reluctance are emotional illiteracy and communicational incompetence (ya get me?). Men need to start talking because they are the most endangered of the endangered species. Overall, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women and the gender gap continues to grow. The suicide rate for adult men (between 25-35) is four times that of women in the same age bracket. Of all age groups, young men who fall under the “youth culture” umbrella provide the most worrying statistics. The suicide rate of young males aged 15-25 has shot up by over 50% over the past twenty years and shows no signs of levelling out any time soon. True, attempted suicide statistics are dominated by females but this also means bad news for men.
CALM is here to tell men, women and all young people that “It's OK to feel confused and not know what words to use. CALM knows “Starting to talk about something you've been keeping to yourself can be hard.” CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, strives to raise awareness of depression amongst young men across Manchester, Merseyside, Cumbria and Bedfordshire. CALM was founded in the late ‘90s and launched in response to the alarmingly high suicide rates amongst young men. CALM’s aim is to try to reach young men before they feel depressed and before they become part of the statistics. Its core service is a confidential, anonymous free helpline (0800 585858) staffed by trained professionals with support from the NHS and access to other services via an extensive, region-specific database. All to often, men perceive conversation as combat, admission as a sign of weakness and this needs to change. Like the sneezes, coughs, pukes and squits that accompany a physical illness, the thoughts brewing in an unhappy mind are similarly unpleasant – and like sneezing, it’s good to get negative thoughts off your chest and begin to address the destructive thought cycles and unproductive behavioural patterns that may lie at the root of unhappiness. Confidentiality and impartiality are guaranteed: "You can say whatever's on your mind, no matter what it is. CALM's advisors won't judge you, and take a 'person-centred' approach. This means that they will listen and comment, but let you lead the direction of the call and decide what is talked about." Confidentiality is great but what about accountability? Well CALM is staffed by fully trained counsellors and “The work of CALM is aligned with NIMHE's (National Institute for Mental Health in England) Equalities and Suicide Prevention work programmes.” Since it’s inception, CALM itself has gone onto set standards in the field and is “cited in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published by NIMHE in September 2002 and is included in the NSF Standard 7 as an example of good practice.”
The admirable mission undertaken by CALM is “To encourage young men to talk about problems and to not feel stigma if they are depressed or having problems.” To spread this message to those who need to hear it most, CALM maintains a strong presence via posters, flyers, beer-mats and mentions on local media. There are already many organisations and institutions offering a shoulder to cry on and ways of improving one’s quality of living but men aren’t using them. CALM knows it has to reach out to its target users because it’s clear they are unlikely to reach out to help themselves. Sad fact is, men generally don’t talk about anything directly. For men conversation is all too often seen as a form of combat or divisive bluff. Men have a tendency to only talk about themselves through the medium of their job, their hobbies or their beliefs. Whereas women find honest personal disclosure and exchange both easier and more socially acceptable, Men first need soccer, boxing, cars and hiphop to give them a mutually acceptable interface through which “safe” conversation can take place. CALM understands “Sometimes it's easier to talk about something else at first;" and so encourages any sort of opening up and this is reflected by the organisation’s promotional strategies. "We are always striving to work creatively to reduce the stigma attached to asking for help and encourage young men to 'open up'." Neil echoes CALM’s awareness of this problem by explaining “We work with music and sports because that’s a good avenue to capture men’s’ attention.” Through growing links with sportsmen, musicians, club deejays and other youth culture celebrities, “CALM has provided a tool to access several sectors of the community not normally utilised to contribute to suicide prevention. These key players working in music, sport and media who support the campaign in the CALM-zones are often young men themselves. The look and feel of the CALM brand fits well with their own image. It is these young men who are spreading the word locally.” CALM utilises access to sympathetic high Profile Role Models from that realm of public life that most closely reflects the cultural slant of that given CALM zone. For example, whereas footballers and other sports personalities are the local heroes in Merseyside, it is Manchester’s after-show club parties and their deejays around which the region’s youth culture revolves. It is however in Bedfordshire where hiphop and “Urban” pop music have been seen as the dominant culture. Having himself “grownup in what Tony Blair would call ‘an area of deprivation,’” Neil, (who helped to found CALM Bedfordshire in 2001), is to be thanked for connecting the cause with the music, sports and lifestyle choices of Urban culture.
A lot of man hours and money go into promotional events like The CALM Urban Games and whilst the line-up CALM secured could have easily commanded a highly profitable ticket price on CALM’s behalf, the event was free. When asked to explain what CALM gets out of a free event into which many have poured much, Neil sets out his honourable goals: “Promotion, PR, credibility – and being able to give something back to the community....Its hard to believe that, given the nature of today’s society, some things can be for free (it’s very rare in the western world!)” Indeed! To paraphrase the old Yellow pages slogan, CALM isn’t just there for the bad things in life. CALM also invests time and effort to try and make the lives of its target service users better so that they might not even need to contact CALM, but if they do, no longer find talking about their problems difficult. CALM’s activities beyond the helpline go far beyond promotion of CALM itself and into community projects aimed to give their target user-base things to do, things to talk about and activities through which they can freely express themselves. Partnership with other organisations such as The Prince's Trust, Healthy Schools/PHSE, CAMHS and Lifelong Learning allows CALM to conduct: group forums focussing on young men in schools, deejay workshops for unemployed men - and they’ve even backed a rap competition on local radio. These activities serve the dual, mutually beneficial roles of boosting CALM’s profile and nurturing the much-needed community pride that is so often lacking amongst England’s young men.
How are you?
What’s up?
How’s things?
Alright mate?
SO HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
Are you Stressed? Depressed? Worried about a friend? CALM is there for you. CALM is aimed chiefly at male youth living in the CALM zones: Manchester, Merseyside, Cumbria and Bedfordshire. However, ANYBODY can call the CALM helpline between 5pm and 3am on 0800 58 58 58. This is a free number giving anybody (regardless of gender or age) access to confidential counselling and advice. If you live in one of the CALM Zones, counsellors will be able to give you constructive advice and useful contacts relevant to your region. If you are calling from outside the existing CALM zones, counsellors will be there to hear you out, give impartial advice and, if appropriate, offer you contact details for nationally-based support.
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photo's © Wayne Pilgrim for CALM