Have you ever heard November referred to as Movember and wondered what that is? Movember is the leading charity for men’s health focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health and suicide prevention. In 2003, Movember began in Melbourne, Australia when two friends were inspired to grow a mustache and raise money for men’s health and prostate cancer. In 2007, Movember officially launched in the United States in partnership with Prostate Cancer Foundation and continued growing into other countries such as Canada, the UK and Spain. Since its founding in 2003, Movember has raised over 5 million dollars towards men’s health projects and is celebrated in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the USA.
Awareness Points for Movember
Prostate Cancer:
1 in 9 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and more than 3 million men are currently living with this disease. Movember aims to educate individuals about the disease and also spread information from cancer research. By 2030, Movember hopes to halve the number of men dying from prostate cancer as well as halve the number of men struggling with ongoing side effects from treatment. Movember has implemented a global action plan (GAP), which works directly with leading researchers from around the world to identify key research areas that need to be addressed. Some of the current action Movember has taken is the implementation of True North which provides care to men living with prostate cancer, improve clinical quality and funded many prostate cancer research breakthroughs.
Testicular Cancer:
This cancer is the most common cancer in young American men. Similar to prostate cancer, Movember hopes to educate and continue to research ways they can decrease the impact of testicular cancer. Since 2011 Movember has invested 30 Million dollars to international research initiatives to address many of the challenging questions related to testicular and prostate cancer.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention:
On average, 1 man dies by suicide every minute of every day. The goal of Movember is to look at mental health through the lens of men and focus on prevention and early intervention. Movember has both a local impact as well as projects focused around the world to decrease the frequency of suicide. They are promoting healthy actions and behaviors through initiatives such as NewAccess, Life Father like Son, Farmstrong, and MAN/ART/ACTION Tribute Pole.
How to Get Involved
To participate in Movember, men are asked to use the month to grow a moustache and to use the power of conversation to raise funds for men’s health. You can also participate by running or walking 60 miles over the course of November. That is 60 miles for every 60 men lost to suicide each hour. Individuals are also encouraged to host a Mo-ment which is a party aimed raise funds for men’s health.
If you are interested in participating, or to learn more about the Movember initiatives please go to https://us.movember.com/get-involved/network-challenges and learn about how you can make a difference.
By: Kelsey Russell, BSW, MHC Intern