Welcome to Call Your Bros
Hello! My name is Zackary Heil and my goal is to raise $12,000 by the end of 2026 for the
Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. The vision CMHF has for the future of our society aligns
with my views, and I fully support their cause. That's why I’ve chosen them to help fundraise and
further reach that goal.
I came up with an idea for a movement called “Call Your Bros” for many reasons, the baseline
being that men don’t talk to each other enough about their emotions and all it takes is one
phone call to change someone else’s day, and yours. The idea was born from emotions rooted
in my own experiences and what I’ve witnessed around me.
- Mental Health & Men’s Emotions
My personal struggles with mental health, combined with societal expectations around men’s
emotions, showed me how damaging it can be when men don’t feel comfortable opening up to
each other, or anyone for that matter.
- Loss of Real Connection
For a generation that lives mostly on social media, we’ve become less social than ever. People
mostly text, even if that. I hate texting, so I always find myself calling my friends just to check in,
and they’re often surprised that’s the only reason I’m calling. Why wouldn’t that be enough?
- The “Be a Man” Mindset
The definition of “Be a man” varies between people. It is often taken to mean don’t cry, don’t
complain, and handle everything alone. What if I told you It didn’t have to be this way. Not at all.
While this doesn’t apply to all men, it applies to many. Bottling emotions only creates deeper
issues and worsens overall mental well-being.
- Breaking a Preventable Cycle
Unhealthy men tend to raise unhealthy families, impacting future generations. This cycle is
preventable, yet it continues due to stigma and fear of being judged.
- Why This Matters
This mindset contributes to the loss of approximately 3,500 Canadian men to suicide each year.
That statistic burdens my mind quite often. With over eight billion people in the world, it’s easy to
feel worthless and alone. Truth is, you aren’t alone, not one bit. This is my starting point for
change, and it can be yours too. Make that phone call to your brothers, Call Your Bros.
About Us
Before I begin, this movement is not praising men. I’m simply raising awareness to the issues
that we as men created, long before I existed. In society, we are not systematically suppressed,
we are the suppressors. It shouldn’t be this way, however, we shouldn’t let the entire bunch ruin
the good apples. Men's mental health is a very real epidemic. Men are statistically less likely to
seek help for mental health issues. Societal expectations around masculinity often discourage
emotional vulnerability, which only deepens the crisis. Despite this, there's a growing movement
encouraging men to break the stigma and speak openly about their struggles. Recognizing
these challenges is not about blaming men, but about understanding the systemic pressures
that shape our behavior and working together to create healthier, more supportive environments
for everyone. Healthier men raise healthier families.
Hello, My name is Zackary Heil. I’m 19 years old and I was born in Hamilton, Ontario. I’ve grown
up in Hamilton my entire life. My parents separated when I was very young. I’ve always had
issues with my family, let’s be real, everyone has. Disagreements, conflict, and overall built up
repression depending on the situation caused a lot of arguments. As I get older and meet more
people, I started to realize a lot of these issues stem from a lack of communication or properly
expressing feelings, whether it’s mine or my parents fault, there’s no winning side in an
argument. We’re on the same side at the end of the day. This wasn’t just from my family, this
was also a social issue for me and many others around me. I’d stop and ask myself often,
“Where did this behavior come from? My parents? My grandparents? Their parents?”.
I’ve heard the sentence thrown around a lot in my life.....”Be a man”. What does that even
mean? I’m sure when you hear “be a man” you imagine a list of things; Don’t cry, don’t
complain, tough it out yourself because that’s exactly what you’re “supposed to do”. While this
mindset isn’t all men, It’s definitely a lot of them. Bottling my feelings just created more issues
and an overall negative mental wellbeing, which doesn’t help any aspect of your life. Unhealthy
men tend to raise unhealthy families, which directly impacts the youth and the families they may
raise. It’s an endless cycle, but it doesn’t have to be. That in itself is an absolute tragedy, to
witness the entirely preventable go unchanged all because somebody didn’t feel comfortable
sharing their feelings due to societal norms and how they would be perceived. This
preconceived ideology combined with plenty of other factors is why we’re going to lose
approximately 3500 Canadian men this year. This ideology is exactly where these deeply rooted
problems exist amongst men and their families, including mine. I read these statistics and it
breaks me. Where did we go wrong? What can I do to help in any shape or form? There’s over
8 billion people on this planet, how am I going to make a difference? Well, this is my starting
point, and it can be yours too.
It starts with a phone call, call the men you love in your life, call your bros. I’m completely
serious too. I can’t even count how many times I’ve called one of my male friends just to see
how they’ve been recently and I’m usually met with “Oh, you’re just calling to see how I’ve
been?” I hate the shock factor. Let’s normalize this behaviour, that’s my life mission, and I plan
on spreading this message forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Call Your Bros?
Call Your Bros is a movement/organization created by Zackary Heil with the sole purpose of
raising awareness to men's mental health. By having an active social presence, promoting
positivity, and being a strong advocate of change, we hope to instill change amongst the
struggling men out there. A simple phone call could change everything and take down walls
amongst relationships. Whether your problems are coming internally or externally, your feelings
matter, even if you think they don’t.
“Over the span of 2026 in collaboration with the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF), I
plan on raising $12,000 dollars towards the CMHF and their non-profit charity. I will not cut my
hair or shave my face until I reach this goal, and I will be working very hard to reach it. This is
very important to me.” - Zackary Heil
Why was Call Your Bros created?
“I created Call Your Bros for many reasons. Due to my own personal struggles with mental
health, societal ideologies towards men's emotions, and a lack of communication that I’ve been
witnessing amongst people my age (being Gen Z) is why I created this organization. For a
generation which is basically purely on social media nowadays, we’ve become less social than
ever amongst ourselves. Don’t get it mixed up though, this movement is for EVERYONE of ALL
AGES. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or not, you can still participate. We all need each other.
People just text all the time even if that. Personally I HATE texting, so I always call my friends to
talk. Sometimes I’ll call some of my friends just to ask how they are and they’ll always be
surprised when that’s all I’m calling about. Is that not enough of a reason to call you? To check
in on my friends? I was pretty confused to be honest. This combined with my previous
experiences with mental health made me realize that I want to do something about it, I mean
REALLY do something about it. Hence, this idea. The name is straightforward, ANYONE can
participate. Whether you’re making the call or receiving the call, you can participate and spread
the message that I’m trying to spread too. I’ve heard the sentence thrown around a lot in my
life.....”Be a man”. What does that even mean? I’m sure when you hear “be a man” you imagine
a list of things; Don’t cry, don’t complain, tough it out yourself because that’s exactly what you’re
“supposed to do”. While this mindset isn’t all men, It’s definitely a lot of them. Bottling my
feelings just created more issues and an overall negative mental wellbeing, which doesn’t help
any aspect of your life. Unhealthy men tend to raise unhealthy families, which directly impacts
the youth and the families they may raise. It’s an endless cycle, but it doesn’t have to be. That in
itself is an absolute tragedy, to witness the entirely preventable go unchanged all because
somebody didn’t feel comfortable sharing their feelings due to societal norms and how they
would be perceived. This preconceived ideology combined with plenty of other factors is why
we’re going to lose approximately 3500 Canadian men to suicide this year. This ideology is
exactly where these deeply rooted problems exist amongst men and their families, including
mine. I read these statistics and it breaks me. Where did we go wrong? What can I do to help in
any shape or form? There’s over 8 billion people on this planet, how am I going to make a
difference? Well, this is my starting point, and it can be yours too.” - Zackary Heil
Who is Call Your Bros?
Call Your Bros was created by Zackary Heil. With a growing team and aspirations bigger than
us, Call Your Bros is everybody that supports the movement.
Where does my money go if I donate?
Every dollar goes towards the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. You can read more about
them HERE:
https://menshealthfoundation.ca/about-us/
What is Call Your Bro’s mission?
“At Call Your Bros, we understand that open conversation is crucial for men’s mental health.
This movement isn’t about praising or blaming, it’s about acknowledging the societal pressures
that discourage men from expressing their emotions. When men engage in honest, supportive
communication, they break down stigma and use vulnerability as a strength. Our mission is to
motivate these important discussions and raise awareness towards the epidemic. By
encouraging these conversations, we’re helping to build healthier minds and stronger families.
Mental health starts with a simple check-in. Call Your Bros.”
What's Call Your Bro’s vision for the coming year?
“At Call Your Bros, we envision a world where men feel empowered to speak openly about their
mental health, free from stigma or judgment. We see a future where vulnerability is embraced as
strength, and honest conversations become normal between men. By embracing supportive
connections and emotional awareness, we aim to contribute to a society with healthier
individuals, stronger families, and a more compassionate understanding of masculinity. Over the
next year, we plan on raising tons of awareness towards this cause and raising as much money
as possible. Whatever the organization turns into over the next year is a bit of a mystery, we
can’t wait to see what’s next for us. We’re always looking towards the future.”
What makes this different from other mental health organizations?
“As a very small organization (to begin with), I’m trying to find new ways to network and grow. I
wanted to create a new idea different from what I’ve seen in the mental health field. As blunt as
this sounds, everything is so sad and negative. Now of course these things need to be
discussed, but I wanted to create something a bit more upbeat. I chose the name to appeal to a
more youthful audience, the name itself tells you exactly what the organization is. You should
Call Your Bros. I also don’t see a lot of young people in this field. I’m 19 while I’m writing this, I’ll
be 20 by the time you’re reading this. Mental health doesn’t always need to be a sad topic, I feel
like a lot of people stray away from talking about mental health frequently due to the usually
depressive nature of it. I try to come up with new ways to tackle this epidemic, like making
upbeat playlists. Of course I didn’t invent playlists, but It’s a start. Plus, who doesn’t love music?
Truthfully, I can still be very closed off about my feelings, but I push through for myself and the
other people around me. I want to grow along with this organization. I noticed this gap in the
market and I want to fill that gap with positivity and a cause that we can all unanimously agree is
important, which also acknowledges the problems that we as men have created for ourselves
and how we can do better. We can talk about the bad parts of men without deteriorating
ourselves and talking down upon each other. My typical mindset is I see a problem, I take
accountability, I get rid of the issue and work on myself to better understand why the problem
happened in the first place. This applies to my work life, relationships, education, and overall
well being. You can apply these ideologies to yourself too.”
Articles
https://horizonwithin.ca/out-of-context-communication-with-gen-z/
Yes, this is the same website that was used as my template example. The psychotherapist
actually wrote this article specifically for us to use on the website. You can basically copy and
paste his exact format for the way he has his articles up. It’s a pretty good article, you should
give it a read.
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Contact Us
Email: callyourbros@gmail.com
Phone: coming soon
More info coming soon