The event, to be held from 10am-2pm, aims to promote positive mental health and well being. Mr Boerma will have his djembe drums, to show community members how West African hand drumming can be helpful for your mental health. 

“I use the drums to provide an opportunity for people to play the drum and connect with their inner self, bio-rhythms and their vibrational energy,” he said. 

“This permeates into a therapeutic space of safety and exploration into their own personal world to allow healing.”

Mr Boerma will also be representing Bears of Hope and Beards of Hope and promoting the support opportunities available. 

Bears of Hope provides a national support service for families who have experienced the loss of their baby.

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Bears of Hope ensures that families have the crucial information needed to guide them in saying hello and goodbye to their much loved baby. While Bears of Hope supports the family, Beards of Hope is a place for the men to talk about how the loss of a child has affected them. 

“It’s important to seek support because men need to grieve as well,” Mr Boerma said. 

These organisations are quite personal to Mr Boerma, having been through the loss of a child. 

“I had a loss and needed to grieve but believed as the man I had to be strong and look after my wife who was crying, but I was crying on the inside and hurting and I needed support,” he said. 

Once Mr Boerma realised he needed the support he discovered bears of hope and moved into counselling so that he could help others. 

“I want to show that it is important for men to seek support because, despite going through an individual experience, together they are strong, unified.”