Meetings
Before
You don’t need to “join” to attend. Just show up. Your first meeting can be stressful. It may be the first time you’ve revealed yourself to anyone. If you contact us through the website, we can put you in touch with a group member who can listen to your concerns, answer your questions and even meet with you in advance of the group meeting. You are entering a safe space of support and respect… the kind of place you may not be able to find at home.
During
The peer facilitator ensures that every man who brings an issue to the table has some time in the meeting. The discussion is confidential and empathetic, and we strive to make no judgments and give no advice. Men around the table listen and share from their own experiences to the benefit of all. It usually comes as a welcome relief to be among guys who know what you’re talking about and how you feel because they’ve all been through similar situations, faced similar challenges.
After
Some men come to only one meeting. Others attend for years. Only you can decide what’s right for you. If you do choose to continue attending, you will almost certainly make many friends among the men in the group. Becoming a dues paying member is not required, but the money goes toward a worthy goal, namely helping GFAS outreach so that men like ourselves can find GFAS and the support it provides.
Meetings at the moment
We’re returning to meeting in person once a month, and three monthly Zoom meetings.
LIVE meetings return the first Thursday of every month, from 7:30-9pm. The meeting will also be available via Zoom. Use the usual link posted on Facebook or gotten from a GFAS member.
WHERE 12TH Ave Arts, 1620 12th Ave on Capitol Hill. It’s on the east side of 12th between Pine and Olive.
DETAILS Doors to the building are sometimes locked at 8pm. If you arrive after that, contact the facilitator or someone you know to be in the meeting and someone will come to let you in. The meeting room is on the second floor. There’s an elevator across the ground floor lobby.
COVID Masks are no longer required in the public spaces of the building. They will be optional in the meeting room. We recommend that if you are not vaccinated or if you are feeling ill, you attend via Zoom rather than in person.
A safe environment
The meeting follows some simple guidelines:
• Welcome every man in a spirit of acceptance and trust.
• Give freely of your personal experiences and avoid telling others what their experience should be.
• Respect the confidentiality of every man, unless they give specific permission to share their experience with others.
• Respect the views of others, although you may not share them.