People have been growing their moustaches out in November for Movember all over the world for over 20 years. Participants are not allowed to shave but they can trim their moustaches. (Willow Pflueger, CMRU.ca)
Movember is an organization that hosts an annual event where participants grow a moustache during the month of November. The goal is to raise money and awareness for several causes, including:
- Men’s health
- Mental health and suicide prevention
- Prostate Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
The name Movember is a combination of November and the Australian slang term for a moustache, “mo.”
Their story
The concept was created in 2003 by two Australian friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. The friends talked 30 men into taking on the challenge and charged them $10 to grow a moustache. Movember was so popular that it became an annual event.
In 2006, Travis Garone, Luke Slattery, Adam Garone and Justin Coghlan established the official Australian charity The Movember Foundation.
The organization launched in Canada in 2007. Since then, several other countries have participated in the fundraising, including France, New Zealand, Spain, Singapore and more.
How to get involved
There are several ways people can participate in Movember. All participants start by officially registering with the organization. Then, participants can decide what challenge they want to take on for the month.
The original challenge is to grow a moustache. Participants start November 1 clean-shaven and grow their moustache out for the entire month. Only moustaches count for the challenge. Beards and goatees do not count.
Another challenge is to run or walk 60 kilometers over the course of the month. The 60 kilometers represent the 60 men who are lost to suicide every hour globally.
Movember also has an option to “Mo Your Own Way.” Participants can create their own challenge to complete during November.
The goal of all of the participation methods is to raise awareness, start a conversation and get people to donate.
What Movember supports
Movember has funded over 1,320 men’s health projects globally. The foundation has funded many mental health projects in Canada. They funded the Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portfolio, which focuses on improving the wellness of Indigenous men. The organization also provides funding for Kids Help Phone.
The foundation has also funded projects focusing on understanding, treating and preventing prostate cancer, like the Ironman Registry and the Preventing Disease Progression Program.
Movember has provided funding for a testicular cancer program called the GAP5 Testicular Cancer Translational Research Project. The project looks to understand relapse in testicular cancer after treatment.
Comments