Nawal Jamshid
Movember is the leading UK charity for raising awareness about men’s physical and mental health.
I’m sure we all noticed some questionable facial hair around campus during November and this was in aid of the ‘Grow a Mo Save a Bro’ campaign, raising awareness about men’s mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Globally, 1 man takes his own life every minute of every day and Movember campaigns to work towards a world where there is less stigma for men to talk about how they’re feeling and recognising that something needs to change. The charity is taking action by funding new approaches to male mental health, increasing education and awareness and creating different community support systems such as ‘Brothers Through Boxing’ and ‘Men’s Pie Club’. These social groups invite men to activities where they feel comfortable and create connections with other men that they can seek support from.
Across Aston University, various fundraising took place for Movember, and I spoke with some of the biggest sports clubs on campus about this.
Charlie Shakespeare is the Promotional Officer of Aston Cobras Rugby and shared with us what Movember means for him and the Cobras:
“For me Movember is far greater than men around the world shaving on November 1st and growing a tache for a month. I see it as the month where men come together as one, to spread awareness and fight the battle of men dying too early from mental health, suicide, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
For the Cobras, Movember is a big mark on the calendar and is something we take a lot of pride in. As our big Movember fundraiser event, we opted to row the length of the River Thames in 9 hours, which was successfully done, with time to spare. Throughout the month of November, the Cobras raised a total of £2068, which will help make the world a healthier place, because of the great work Movember do.
Although Movember is over for another year, that doesn’t mean the conversations surrounding men’s health should stop as well. We as the Cobras, urge that men should no longer suffer in silence, so we’ll continue to do our best to prevent that from happening in our strong community.”
Leo Taylor is this year’s Secretary for Aston Unicorns Hockey:
“As this year’s Secretary, it was my pleasure to lead our yearly Movember fundraiser. As ever it’s an issue that resonates deeply with both our men’s and women’s teams and this is reflected in our beating of last year’s fundraising total. It also led to important conversations about what mental and physical health means to us all, the ways in which we can support one another with the challenges we face and the importance of encouraging these conversations throughout the year.”
Ethan Fox, Charities Officer of Aston Stags Football shared with us how the Stags fundraised for Movember and the importance of these events:
“As a club, Movember is a time where we turn our love for football into something that benefits others through organising and partaking in all kinds of fun events throughout the month. Our annual charity quiz has become a traditional Stags event to look forward to as well as consistently being a great success in raising money for men’s mental health – a cause that most of us have been affected by in some capacity.
For the Aston Stags, Movember is a reminder that our strength as a team isn’t just in the games we play, but in the way we support one another and raise awareness for causes bigger than football. Movember had reminded us that every small action like growing a moustache, attending an event, or even just checking in on a mate can make a huge difference.
As well as the quiz we took part in the “Move for Movember” initiative, collectively challenging ourselves to stay active throughout the month, by running, walking or cycling. Each effort from our club has been a step towards not only raising money but spreading awareness and starting conversations that matter. We also took part in other events such as the charity football match and some of our members getting waxed during sports night social: all of which was a huge success and lots of fun. We are proud to say that we raised £2735 this year for Movember and are excited for next year in the hopes to raise even more money!”
The main message to take from Movember is that it’s always important to talk about how you’re feeling and to reach out to your loved ones if you need support. Equally to check up on each other, encouraging open conversations and comfortable environments to have them in is the first step in destigmatising men’s health.
If you’re ever worried that your or someone’s life is in immediate danger call 999 or go directly to emergency services.
To read more about the charity and access some of Movember’s resources see below: https://uk.movember.com/about/mental-health
To read and access resources from our Students’ Union see below:
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