Many of you will already know that this month marks the start of Movember, the seemingly light-hearted mission to grow facial hair throughout November, with a focused campaign that aims to take on the crisis in men’s health. While most of the team here at Little Soap can’t physically grow much facial hair at all, we are all intent on getting behind the campaign this month, to support men’s health and to raise awareness of the issues surrounding the cause. Read on to find out more about Little Soap and Movember: Supporting Men’s Health…
How it all began
Movember was born in 2003, after friends Travis Garone and Luke Slattery happened upon a unique fundraising idea. Inspired by a friend’s mum who was raising funds for breast cancer, they decided to tackle men’s health- and managed to drum up 30 men to attempt to grow a moustache! The following year, they decided to take on the challenge once more, formally supporting prostrate cancer as their cause.
By 2007, the campaign was international and there are now 21 countries involved each year- and it’s raised over 730 million AUD to fund over 1000 men’s health programs.
“Our focus has broadened to four key men’s health issues: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity. We’ve seen the growth of millions of moustaches, significant breakthroughs in scientific research, and a fundamental shift in the conversation around men’s health.”
https://uk.movember.com/story/view/id/11213/
What is the aim of Movember?
According to the Movember website, men’s health is facing a crisis, with current studies finding that men on average are dying around 5 years earlier than women- and mostly for preventable reasons.
“A growing number of men – around 10.8M globally – are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides.”
https://uk.movember.com/about/cause
Movember’s aim is to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%, by 2030.
A campaign with a mission to make an impact
The Movember campaign isn’t just about raising awareness. It has a very clear mission to make am impact and to implement changes, by:
- Giving men the facts
- Changing behaviour for the better
- Creating services that work for men
- Uniting the brightest minds
- Listening to the community and advocating for men.
But why is this so important? Well the figures speak for themselves, as the campaign reports that on average 1 man will die by suicide every minute of every day, globally. In the UK, 3 out of 4 suicides are by men. Figures also show that in the UK. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostrate cancer, while testicular cancer mainly affects younger men.
The Movember campaign aims to educate men, and to provide valuable resources to help those affected- and taking part is so very easy. If you can, take on the challenge to grow a moustache this month. If you can’t, support someone who can- by donating and supporting the challenge. The money raised will go towards funding groundbreaking health projects across mental health and suicide prevention, prostrate cancer and testicular cancer.
You really don’t need a moustache to make a difference!