Page 5474 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 November 2010
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attention to men’s health needs across multiple domains, a signature of participation that “men’s health matters”.
Movember provides a real opportunity for having conversations, raising awareness about men’s health and enhancing men’s help-seeking behaviour, which I think all other members have commented on.
The campaign is broad enough that it is inclusive of women, allowing men to be supported by the women in their lives, aptly labelled “mo sistas”, who help their Movember “mo bros” to raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their mo-growing efforts.
The reach and fundraising from Movember are substantial and contribute a major source of funding and awareness raising for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Funds from the Movember Foundation are used to fund a range of important prostate cancer projects. They provide the ability to undertake important research into the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of prostate cancer and enable awareness raising activities to be developed and undertaken in communities about prostate cancer.
A component of the funds is also directed to beyondblue for further important work. It contributes to the development of the info line, which is a national 24/7 service providing depression information and referral services for the general public. This service was initially developed to support men in rural settings but now provides a broader service right across Australia. The helpline is well utilised by men. This service provided information referral and assistance to over 61,000 callers between January 2009 and April 2010.
The funds are also supporting men in rural communities. Beyondblue’s “Don’t beat around the bush!” seeks to raise awareness of depression, anxiety and related disorders in rural communities. This service also provides information on where to get help and how to access services. Movember fundraising also goes to the beyondblue information network map, which has been developed to help people in rural and remote areas to find local support services as an online service.
Efforts have also gone into enhancing the beyondblue rural workforce training sessions to businesses and organisations in rural Australia; enhancing mental health literacy and access to service providers, which includes depression and anxiety in men with prostate cancer; the development of fact sheets, DVDs and user-friendly books, resources and materials that focus on specific illnesses and disorders, as well as where to get help and stay well; and Movember funding for beyondblue is working towards providing depression awareness training in men’s sheds, creating Indigenous men’s spaces and community forums for men.
These are just a few of the resources and services that have been enhanced and sustained and supported because of the massive fundraising effort from a simple concept like Movember. Apart from giving men a once-in-a-year opportunity to demonstrate their ability to grow hair on their face—and let us remember that some cannot do it as well as others—and in allowing men to reveal a glint of that secret or hidden groovy personality, Movember provides an opportunity for men’s health to be
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