Changing The Face Of Mental Health

SINCE 2003, MOVEMBER HAS FUNDED MORE THAN 1,250 MEN’S HEALTH PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD. AS THE 2019 CAMPAIGN GETS UNDERWAY, DANIEL JONES EXPLORES THE IMPACT THE FOUNDATION HAS MADE, AND THE HUG CHALLENGES STILL TO OVERCOME

- DANIEL JONES

From the initial brainchild of four young Aussies sitting around a pub in Melbourne, the Movember Foundation has grown into the world’s leading men’s health charity in little more than 15 years.

Chances are you’ll have come face to face with their annual campaigns at some point, encouraging men of all ages to spare their top lip the shaving cream and proudly rock their moustache as a badge of awareness. It’s certainly proven to be much more than a gimmick; the organisation currently runs initiatives across 21 countries worldwide and counts the likes of Jamie Oliver, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Waltz and Snoop Dogg among their list of ambassadors.

Last year, Movember raised over £57.6 million in funding through its network of ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sistas’ – an incredible feat that shows just how far the organisation has come. They have their sights set on beating that figure in 2019, with much of the funding going towards the research and treatment of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. We caught up with co-founder Justin Coghlan, better known as JC, to discuss their ongoing initiatives, the current state of men’s health and other challenges facing the organisation as it heads into this year’s campaign.

JUST THE BEGINNING

“Our main goal is to continue tackling the increasingly dire state of men’s health head-on,” JC explains. “In the UK the stats are very concerning. One man dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer, while more than 333,000 are living with the disease. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men, and although in most cases the outcome for men with the disease is positive, a 95 per cent chance of survival is of no comfort to the one in 20 who won’t make it.