What if the men in your life lived five years longer? When it comes to men’s health, they are less likely to speak up and take action leading them to die too young. For men, the month of November is known as ‘Movember’. Movember is a global charity focused on men’s physical and mental health.
According to the website, Movember, they have funded “more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men” since 2003.
The movement was started by two Australian men, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. In 2004, they set up their website and the funds they raised went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia in which they received the largest single donation ever.
Movember’s goals are to take on not only men’s mental health, but also prostate as well as testicular cancer. “In everything we do, we strive to be transparent and accountable. We report thoroughly on each project so that our Mo Bros and Mo Sisters can see how their support is changing the lives of men around the world,” says the Movember team.
Dawson Still, senior and Principal Percussionist at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, says, “I think having something that is easy to access on your phone or computer that can tell you the stuff that you need to hear but haven’t yet, is great. With two clicks you’ll be at a therapist’s doorstep and another two clicks and you figure out you have prostate cancer. I think that when men shield themselves from love or vulnerability, that’s when problems start, so Movember makes it a lot easier to talk.”
Partnering with the Movember movement is the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The PCF website states, “During Movember, men are challenged to grow a mustache, and men and women can be physically active and move or host a fundraising event. Not only do these commitments raise vital funds, they also generate powerful and often life-changing conversations.”
Millions have joined the Movember movement, raising over $991M for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. Samuel Smith, mathematics teacher at BBHHS, gives a deep dive on his mustache by saying, “I have had a full beard since junior year of high school, six years ago. Sometimes it’s longer, sometimes it’s shorter, but very rarely do I just have a mustache or no facial hair at all. I keep the ends of my mustache long so that I can shape them into handlebars when I feel like doing so. It was not related to Movember at first, but I did get rid of the beard for Movember and just kept the mustache.”
For Smith, he thinks, “Movember impacts men’s mental health conversations by breaking the stigma around the topic. It shows men struggling with mental health that they do not need to be isolated but have a team who they can talk to and lean on for support.”
His team is his friends who he plays an annual turkey bowl with. The turkey bowl helps him stay physically active while furthering deeper relationships with his friends. Smith believes, “The most important thing for men to stay both physically and mentally healthy is community. A band of brothers so to speak. I find it that men can often isolate themselves in their minds rather than being open with brothers (both family and friends) who can support them and hold them accountable to looking after their health.”
Adam Munshower, senior and HVAC student at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, is passionate about looking out for others and making a difference. For him, writing his thoughts down allows him to understand what he’s feeling and why he feels that way. To stay physically active, he goes to the gym or on walks which also helps him mentally.
”No matter what, leaving this earth will not fix anything. Trials will happen, yes, but with support and love along with your own understanding, you can get through it,” says Munshower. He continues on to share his testimonial by adding, “Through the Grace of God, I am no longer suicidal. Months ago, I was in an extremely low place and felt like I had nobody. Yet, with the support of loved ones and God, I no longer feel that way. I believe that everyone is loved and cared for and that there’s always a reason to not give up.”
Breaking the stigma is still a struggle, even in today’s society. In order to break it, the community has to come together as a whole. “We can break it by giving simple compliments, for example: “Hey man, your hair looks good” and that goes for everyone, not just men. If we become nice as a whole, then this stigma wouldn’t exist, but it’s just a slow process,” says Still.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, the BBHHS guidance office has tremendous counselors who are ready to help. If speaking to someone in person isn’t your style, please reach out to the National Hotline for Mental Health by dialing 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
