I don’t usually look like this.
- Porthos, Aramis and… Guido?
Fuzzy isn’t my thing. But I learned two important lessons (OK, re-learned) a week ago:
1. Never show up late to a meeting.
2. Don’t work with wise-asses.
Last week I rambled in to a WhatGives!? editorial meeting in progress.
“He’s our test case!” shouted MJ, our editor.
Giggles and guffaws ensued.
The topic at hand was Movember – the annual charity fundraiser where men around the world grow out their facial hair to raise money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer research.
The team had been discussing the fact that women’s health issues tend to dominate our conversation and coverage, and looking for a good angle to explore the Movember phenomena – over 200,000 men world wide will participate this year.
Then my face walked in. 12 days later (hey, I haven’t even had the full month!) my stubble has gone from scraggly to… slightly less scraggly. But it’s all for a good cause. Huff Post reported that $40M is raised for Movember worldwide.
So far, I’ve raised a bit over $150 US (you can donate on my Movember page), which is probably about $2 per whisker.
It also gave me a chance to ask Adam Garone, the Australia-based founder of Movember a few questions. Take a look below, and join the movement at the main Movember site :
Q: Why prostate cancer? Was someone in your life affected by prostate cancer?
A: One in six men will develop prostate cancer. It’s the number one male cancer threat with roughly as many men being diagnosed and dying from prostate cancer as women from breast cancer. We were inspired by what women had done to bring awareness and funding to breast cancer and wanted to do the same for prostate cancer.
Thankfully my father does not have prostate cancer but since starting Movember I have been surrounded by men battling, surviving and sadly passing from prostate cancer. It’s their stories that inspire us at Movember to bring much needed awareness to this neglected cause.
Q: Prostate cancer is usually considered an older man’s disease. Were you specifically targeting younger men with the Movember campaign? Why?
A: Whilst prostate cancer typically affects men over 40, the Movember campaign targets younger men. We all have fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and friends over 40 and we will all some-day be 40. We want men of all ages to be knowledgeable about the health risks they face and to challenge men over the age of 40 to begin screening for prostate cancer.
We also extended the cause this year to include testicular cancer which is the most common cancer for young men, 18-35.
Q: Is there a measurable spike in the number of men getting tested for prostate problems while the moustache campaign is going on?
A: For the last two years we have undertaken a research project conducted by an independent third party. The aim of this project has been to develop a full understanding of the behavioral changes as a direct result of participation in Movember.
As a direct result of the Movember 2008 campaign:
82% of participants talked about men’s health with friends, family or work colleagues
55% of participants did some of their own research into the causes Movember supports
13% of participants sought medical advice
38% of participants encouraged someone else to seek medical advice.
Q: You’ve raised a lot of money. Do you feel you’ve really changed some men’s perspective and behavior?
A: People focus on the money we have raised because it’s tangible and a huge and historic amount for prostate cancer. The more valuable outcome of the Movember campaign are the conversations that the moustache create and the changes in behavior that it is creating as evidenced by the research results listed above. Whilst we have made in-roads we have much work to do, to truly change the face of men’s health.
Q: What was that first Movember like? What methods did you use to spread the word? How is it different now?
A: The first Movember back in 2003 saw 30 of our best friends commit to growing a moustache. That year we didn’t do it for any particular reason, we did it as a joke and a challenge – to bring back the moustache. That year we all came together for an end of Movember party to compare moustaches and to share our moustache growing experiences. All of us got so much grief from growing a moustache that year that I said to the guys, we need to legitimize this so we can get away with it each year because it was so much fun. So in 2004, we turned Movember into a charity event to raise a little bit of awareness and some money for prostate cancer, a cause that we felt had been severely neglected. How did we spread the word? Guys growing a moustache become a walking billboard for 30 days, spreading the men’s health message through their facial hair. Not much has changed since then – the campaign and the number of guys involved has just grown.
Q: Have you considered adding goatees or sideburns for “extra credit”?
A: Mo is slang for moustache in Australia, hence Movember. So we are all about the moustache. A moustache is a talking point, goatees and sideburns aren’t. Our tag line is “changing the face of men’s health” – we literally challenge men to change their face by growing a moustache for 30 days. That’s the commitment much like doing a run or ride for charity. When you have a moustache people ask you what’s going on and that opens up great conversations about cancers that affect men – a topic men never normally discuss.
Q: How do you see the project evolving in the next few years?
A: The campaign is only just starting in North America and we want to grow it to the same levels as we’ve reached in Australia. Also, to continue to expand the campaign globally. Ultimately, Movember will have played a significant role in finding a cure for prostate cancer.
Q: Do you have a favorite mustache profile on the Movember site? can we feature it?
A: The undercover brother. (see below)
A few examples of the Stash - more at Movember
