Reported by Luca Morgante
Every Wednesday morning, all over the world, men are gathering together in support groups to drink coffee, go on walks, and talk with one another without any expectations or judgment.
It’s all part of a movement called When No One’s Watching (WNOW).
It started in Sydney when WNOW’s founders, David Eccles and Tadhg Kennelly, hit hard times during covid, with Tadhg losing his job at the Sydney Swans hitting him especially hard.
“I was just shutting myself out of the world and I didn’t want to get out of the house.” Tadhg had said
Tadhg found himself becoming increasingly disconnected from his friends until David reached out and they started getting coffee and going for early morning walks, inviting others to join them until it expanded into a community.
WNOW now involves 48 Chapters operating worldwide with over 4000 members covering 68 nationalities – entirely volunteer-based. But the group isn’t stopping there, with plans to form 100 new chapters in 2026.
There are currently nine chapters in Victoria – six in Melbourne and three in the regions.
The Williamstown chapter opened in September making it the perfect time for new people looking to join.
The idea is to create spaces where men can come together and ‘take their armour off’ – to be vulnerable with other men in their communities.
Meeting every Wednesday morning at 6:00am the men perform a morning ritual to help connect and understand one another.
Together they go for walks, have coffee, exercise and form ‘a circle of trust’ where they can talk about their issues with others who are willing to listen.
All parts of the meetings are designed for anyone to be able to participate, with no one being forced to participate if they aren’t comfortable doing so.
“There might be 99 reasons not to come, find the one reason to come. You don’t have to be fit to come, you don’t need the right shoes. Start with coming down for some coffee.”
WNOW also works to spread awareness of men’s issues. For example, they’ll do 60 push-ups in solidarity with the 60 male suicides that happen every 60 minutes worldwide.
The activities allow men to communicate and bond with one another, forming new friendships to support one another outside of the group meetings.
Chapters are formed by people in a community reaching out to WNOW and requesting assistance. With WNOW offering training, tools, and support from both WNOW staff and other chapter leaders.
If you or your community could benefit from a group like this, the WNOW website explains how to join an existing chapter or establish a new one.
If you feel like you are struggling and would like to meet some like-minded men to chat with then WNOW may be what you are looking for.
