CFN – It is that time of year again, the period in which men from around the world get a little fuzzier for a good cause. I speak of course of the month long fund-raising campaign first started in Australia referred to as Movember, a port-manteau of the colloquial term “mo” (for moustache) and the month November. The goal of the event is to raise funds and awareness regarding men’s health, specifically aimed at providing charitable monies to prostate cancer research. The moustache that men are encouraged to grow is a part of the awareness campaign, and as the Movember website states “Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health”
How do I get involved?
On November 1st, shave and then resist the urge to shave your moustache again until the end of the month. During that time, you are encouraged to register with the Movember.ca website and begin collecting donations through sponsorship which go directly toward realizing the 5 strategic goals of Movember, one of which is the funding of prostate cancer research. Registration is quick and easy, and can even be done through your facebook account, at which point you can even join a team and raise funds as a collective. This works great if you want to include friends, family, or even the workplace.
5 Strategic goals of Movember
As the website explains, there are 5 visionary goals that the Movember campaign funds are put toward, and they are as follows:
Survivalship
Meaning that some of the funds will be put toward supporting initiatives aimed at helping men and their families effected by prostate cancer by giving them the tools necessary to make informed decisions, as well as help improve their quality of life.
Awareness and education
Through the annual campaign and through funded educational programs, the Movember campaign aims to increase the understanding of the health risks men face, as well as encourage men to take an active approach to their health.
Prostate Cancer research
The campaign will providing funding toward catalytic research and clinical trials infrastructure, which is proven to lead to significantly improved diagnostic and prognostic tests as well as treatments that will help ease the burden placed upon the patient while they are dealing with their prostate cancer.
Male mental health
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The Movember campaign would like to also address is male mental health, which they would like to raise awareness of during the campaign as well as reduce the stigma associated with it and providing funding to improve the treatment process of various mental health issues.
Influencing changes in Men’s health
The campaign is also committed to providing funding to work toward improving health policy and accelerating the manner in which knowledge is passed along to the public in order to hopefully improve the health outcomes of men suffering from an array of ills.
In 2011, Canadians dove deep into their pockets and donated a whopping $34.1 million, more than any other country, and this year we should aim to top that. I have the privilege of participating in this event for my third consecutive time, and while my facial hair is not the best, I am willing to risk looking silly for a good cause.
If you would like to learn more about Movember you can do so at: http://ca.movember.com/
If you would like to sponsor me through making a donation, please do so at: http://mobro.co/stephanegroulx
Born and raised in Cornwall Ontario, Stéphane is a social activist and political science student at the University of Ottawa who is avidly passionate about politics, policy-making, as well as getting youth involved in the democratic process.
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Stéphane also loves to observe and explore his surroundings, take part in rational discussion, learn new things, write, and meet new people.
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If you wish to contact or sponsor Mr. Groulx email us at info@cornwallfreenews.com or call our hotline at 613 361 1755 or follow him on twitter @StephaneGroulx
