Symbolic Mo underpins Movember message
With approximately 11 days to go until the start of Movember, men are encouraged to embrace the Mo-nth through a selection of fund-raising endeavours.
The first is to grow a moustache, (or fake it until you make/grow it).
“Growing a Mo is like wearing a symbol representing healthier men and a healthier world, all Movember long,” says Movember.
[Coincidentally, the theme for International Men’s Day on November 19 this year is, Healthy Men, Healthy World].
“It shows everyone you walk past that men’s health matters to you.”
Another action is to ‘Move for Mental Health,’ and to make running, or walking, 60km over Movember your mission.
Hosting a Mo-Event is considered a great way to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, and if you don’t like any of these activities, ‘Mo Your Own Way.’
This is flexibility on steroids. Simply sign up, establish a profile, set up your challenge and share your Mo Space with the world, asking for donations along the way.
The challenge could be as simple as quitting a habit for a month or sailing around Australia … and everything in-between.
Movember is a leading men’s health charity that places its focus on three areas:
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- Prostate Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
Close to 7 million people have joined the Movember movement since it started 20 years ago to take on the biggest health issues affecting men. Since 2003, 1320 men’s health projects around the world have received funding.
This includes:
- AUD 336 million invested into 437 mental health and suicide prevention projects.
- AUD 630 million invested into 865 prostate cancer projects
- AUD 12 million invested into 25 testicular cancer projects.
Movember was started by two Melbourne-based mates, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, who were motivated to resurrect the moustache as a fashion trend. The best way, they surmised, was to frame the Mo-call-to-action around a fund-raiser for prostate cancer, the most common cancer diagnosis for men. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Australian males after lung cancer.
Estimates suggest that 3507 men will die from prostate cancer in 2022. Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
In 2023, prostate cancer is estimated to be the most diagnosed cancer for males and Australia overall. Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
The Movember movement has since grown internationally, with Mo Bros and Mo Sistas in 21 countries including New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK and Spain.