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Hey, men. Let’s talk

Club offers casual space for male conversation

There’s one in the Hazeltons, in Smithers and one in northeastern B.C.

And now there’s a move on create a DUDES club in Houston, a place where men can talk about what concerns them in a friendly and casual atmosphere.

“Drop your armour; you don’t have to be your tough guy here,” says Chris Blois in repeating a club slogan.

Blois works for Positive Living North in Smithers and plans to travel to Houston once a week to spark interest in the club.

A small group of men had already been meeting in Houston and Blois hopes it’ll grow.

The first DUDES club was founded on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in 2010 with the overall objective of encouraging wellness and health.

Blois said there are three pillars to the club — building solidarity and brotherhood, promoting men’s health and enabling men to regain a sense of pride, purpose and fulfillment in their life.

“It’s about positive role modeling,” said Blois. “To have a social place for conversation, to encourage people to talk.”

Ideally, Blois would like gatherings to take place twice a month, every second and fourth Tuesday at Houston Community Services, for an hour or hour and a half each time.

He can be contacted at 250-877-0042 for more information.

The first DUDES Club was established in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside in 2010 and takes its name from the phrase Downtown Urban knights Defending Equality and Solidarity.