KPU hosts second annual bike-a-thon

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Editor’s Note: The article mentions suicide, self-harm, and drug abuse. Students can reach out to KPU’s 24/7 counseling services at 1.844.451.9700, the 24/7 Talk Suicide Canada hotline at 1-833-456-4566, or the BC Crisis Centre hotline at 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE). Help is available, please reach out. 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is hosting a 24-hour bike-a-thon for men’s mental health from Nov. 23 at 11:00 am to Nov. 24 at 11:00 am at the Tech campus. 

Participants will be riding in support of Movember Conversations, a charity that focuses on mental health, early intervention, prevention, and health promotion from a male perspective. 

The indoor event will have four bikes participants can take turns riding. It will also feature music, entertainment, workshops, networking, and refreshments. Counsellors from KPU’s counselling services will also set up a booth to speak to students in need. 

“I think the [bike-a-thon] is relevant for our student body, especially our trades and tech students who are disproportionately at risk for mental health issues,” says Emma Baggott, event organizer and electrical instructor at KPU.

Baggott was interested in encouraging conversations about men’s mental health after an electrical student took their life during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“That’s when it was eye opening for me with basically how many students are really struggling.”

Baggott says there is an idea that men have to suffer in silence and are discouraged from expressing vulnerability. This inspired her to stimulate open conversations about mental health in her own classes. 

“This is … a conversation we need to start and encourage, [not only among] our students, but also people.” 

Hearing the stories of several students at last year’s event strengthened Baggott’s determination to do something bigger. She hopes to equip students with the resources to come forward and talk about mental health, adding a fear of vulnerability prevents people from reaching out. 

The trades industry is predominantly male and which disproportionately affects their mental health, Baggott says. She hopes to see more women in the trade’s environment. 

“The drug abuse, self-harm, and suicide [rates are] alarming, higher than any other field,” says Stephen Dockery, an electrical instructor at KPU.

According to the CBC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study that people working in the trades industry such as carpenters, miners, electricians, and construction trades face the second highest suicide rates, following the agriculture industry.

“The whole idea of being a man, and manly traits, is in itself toxic, and can create toxic environments because we’re supposed to be quiet and tough and get along with things and never complain, be emotional, or sensitive,” Dockery says. 

Baggott and Dockery both say conversations about men’s mental health are often associated with or centered around the concept of ‘toxic masculinity.’

Dockery says he wants students at the event to reflect on their personal processes, question the way they process and react to things, and see if it is healthy. 

People should feel safe to have these conversations and explore new ideas in a university setting, he says, as it is an environment for learning, self-reflection, criticism, and self-analysis. 

“It is not only a good place, it is the perfect place for people to evaluate themselves in their processes and to hopefully learn new processes.”

The event aims to change the mindset and traits associated with the trades industry from the 1970s and adapt to new ones. Dockery also says the month of November is important as it puts men’s mental health at the forefront.

He hopes the event will encourage a broader approach to mental health and hopes to see more mental health resources in support of students. 

“Instructors and staff in general go above and beyond to encourage our students to join in and be engaged in physical activity, exercise, and recreation as a means of bonding.”

To learn more about the event, visit https://www.kpu.ca/bikeathon.