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Help other men keep talking

#KeepTalking

Our call to action

Keep Talking is our call to you and the men in your life – friends, brothers, nephews and husbands. We know that 89% of people working in engineering and technology are men. But their specific set of challenges with mental and physical health is not often addressed directly. We want to change that.

Keep Talking campaign

Our aim is to help tackle the stigma men face when seeking support and encourage men to speak openly about their experiences. Our Trustee Richard Spalding encourages men to speak up and keep talking about what worries them: “So many men find it so difficult to talk about their own health problems.  The more men start opening up, the more society will become used to it. Then we’ll all get the right help sooner.”

Why Keep Talking?

We know that almost one in five engineers has lost a colleague to suicide, while more than a fifth have had to take time off work because of a mental health issue. Disabilities, especially ‘invisible’ ones, can make it difficult to ask for support in the workplace. This, combined with pressure for men to behave in certain ways, creates difficulty asking for help they need and deserve. This can and should change.

How do I Keep Talking? There are many ways you can show your support and fight the stigma around asking for help .

Share your story

  • Your experience of dealing with a physical or mental health issue will reach others in the community who may be struggling silently and encourage them to ask for the support they need. Get in touch with us to share your story.

Write what you know

  • You may be a fitness enthusiast, amateur life coach or just really good at something you can share with the rest of the community! Your advice could support someone in their first steps of looking after their body and mind. Get in touch to share your knowledge with others.

Invite others to join you

A photo of Gareth Price, Foothold Trustee and Honorary Treasurer. He is smiling looking at the camera.

A statement from our Honorary Treasurer Gareth Price on our financial situation

Our Trustee Gareth Price explains how the IET's decision to stop collecting donations for Foothold may affect our support for engineers.

A family consisting or a man, woman and boy sitting at a table. Representing an IET member renewing his IET membership, the man is working on a laptop, whilst the woman and boy are doing a crafting activity together.

IET no longer collecting donations for Foothold with membership renewals

Learn about important changes between Foothold and the IET, and find out how you can #DonateDirect to help us support engineers in need.

Opening up new opportunities for the engineering community with the launch of our Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme

Our new support programme is designed to empower neurodiverse engineering professionals, students and apprentices to achieve their full potential.