It got its start in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, filling a need that men in the rough streets so desperately need – a place of support, a place to connect to culture and a place of healing. Dudes Club has been bringing Indigenous men together starting in downtown Vancouver for 15 years.
Grant Barton, Dudes Club Society Executive Director, said that Indigenous people living in the Downtown Eastside come from all over and it is home to the most vulnerable people in Canada. The DTES is known for its homeless population and for people living in addiction.
Barton said that there was a man who noticed that there is support and gatherings for Indigenous women. He wondered what was there for Indigenous men, and so the first Dudes Club was launched in the DTES.
Barton said the first few Dudes Club events were simple meetings, usually led by an elder male that opened discussions. But the meeting is for the men and giving them a safe space to talk. The only rule is that they drop their armour at the door. “They may pick it up on their way out, but they don’t need it in the club,” said Barton.
Barton describes the club as a safe place for men to get together, where they can talk freely about things that concern them. “You know, when you live in the streets, you line up for food or whatever, Dudes Club is not like that,” said Barton.
Many First Nations men have a history of hurting others, if not themselves and they long for a sense of belonging, a place to reclaim their voices. Some have been institutionalized, if not in prison, then in residential schools. Dudes Club facilitators hope their work will give men a renewed role, one of men supporting each other and their families in building wellness and strong communities.
“It’s about removing dependencies,” said Barton, adding that it is also a place where the men can redefine masculinity and reconnect with Indigenous culture. In more recent times, employment opportunities have been added to the menu of services the Dudes Club offers.
According to their website, Dudes Club Society provides space to facilitate a participant-led community for men’s health and wellness. “We do this through different events prioritizing supportive relationships, engagement in health care, and Indigenous world views,” they added.
Launched in 2010, Dudes Club welcomes all self-identifying men and is a proven model for Indigenous men’s wellness promotion that builds solidarity and brotherhood, enabling men to regain a sense of pride and purpose in their life.
They say that they bring together men who often carry with them intergenerational trauma related to the loss of or damage to their land, culture, family, language, and identity, and, by working together, the men are able to begin to drop some of their armour.
Over the years, the clubs have evolved and grown as men hear about it, usually by word of mouth. Dudes Club volunteers hand out swag bags containing things like t-shirts or hats. It is an offering given to men in the streets that lets them know about the club. They also promote their club on social media and through other advertising.
From group activities to larger men’s gatherings, the Dudes Club grows and changes according to what the participants want. If the men like Bingo, the club plays Bingo. “It’s a place for them to reclaim their voice – a club for men, by men,” said Barton.
According to Dudes Club Society testimonials, the activities and connection has allowed some of the men learn more about improving personal health through nutrition or having contacts with health services. One said that he appreciated a welcoming place to talk because life at home is rough.
In fact, Dude Club Society is funded through agencies like the First Nations Health Authority along with municipal, provincial and federal grants.
By working with Indigenous men and building partnerships and trust, Dudes Club helps to address impacts of colonialism. “They serve men facing social, political, and economic marginalization,” says the Dudes Club website.
The Dudes Club in Vancouver is open to men of all ages. There is spin-off club for male youth called neXup with Matt Provost as the Youth Coordinator. Like Dudes Club, neXup is a youth-led initiative nurturing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of boys, young men, and those identifying as two-spirit, trans, queer, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming youth.
Launched in 2020, neXup’s mission is to foster a community for young people’s well-being through health information and activities that bring people together and incorporate local Indigenous culture.
Dudes Club Society is so successful that other chapters began popping up all over British Columbia. Barton says the Skidegate Dudes Club has been in operation for many years and has given itself the Haida Gwaii name, GaaGagaay, which means Strength Within.
He went to say that GaaGagaay hosted a men’s gathering on Haida Gwaii that brought 117 men from all over the province. They took part in three days of activities that included healing workshops, guest speakers with uplifting messages, selfcare and cultural activities.
More Dudes Clubs launched on Vancouver Island including Victoria, Sydney and Saanich. They have catchy names like, Awakening the Warrior Within, based at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre. There’s the Wolf Pack and Deadly Uncles/Nephew Club in the South Island with other clubs operating at Cowichan Tribes, Stzuminus and Snuneymuxw territories.
Most exciting for mid island is that more Dudes Club chapters are being launched in Nuu-chah-nulth territories including Huu-ay-aht, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, Pacheedaht. There is another one starting up in Port Hardy.
“The DUDES Club is more than just a gathering place for our men; it is a movement, empowering men to reclaim their roles as leaders, protectors, and healers,” said Barton in the Dudes Club Society Annual Report.
