Movember - the charity organisation that highlights men's health issues, most famously with its sponsored moustache-growing - has come together with mobility and taxi service FreeNow to celebrate 20 years of 'Mow.'
Fighting the three big killers of young men
Movember was founded in 2003 by two friends in a pub in Australia, with the idea to help tackle the causes of untimely death in young men. Movember, through its fund-raising, has helped to target funding at three of the biggest health issues affecting men globally: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
As part of the 2023 campaign, Movember is today announcing a yearlong partnership with the mobility app, FreeNow. To launch the collaboration, Movember and FreeNow have teamed up with TV presenter and Olympian, Greg O'Shea, Love Hate actor, John Connors, TV presenter and influencer, James Patrice, and model and actor, Carl Shaaban, to help raise funds and awareness for men's health issues. Movember wants everyone to start the conversation around key topics including mental health and suicide prevention, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.
As part of the programme, FreeNow has done some research among the - mostly male - drivers with whom it works, and the results are troubling. Some 15 per cent say that they regularly come across passengers who struggle with their mental health; but 39 per cent of the drivers say that they regularly struggle with their own mental health. Almost half (46 per cent) of drivers always talk to passengers in the car but only 12 per cent of drivers say mental health and wellbeing is discussed with more general topics such as the weather, sport and current affairs the most talked about subjects. Some 68 per cent of drivers say that having a chat with a passenger has a positive impact on their own mental health and wellbeing, while 46 per cent of drivers say they never talk to anyone about their mental health.
Round-up your taxi fare
From November through to February, FreeNow will be giving its passengers the opportunity to round-up the cost of their taxi rides to the nearest whole Euro, with the extra being donated to Movember. FreeNow and Movember will also be hosting a series of virtual and in-person talks and training for its drivers' partners in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany. The talks will cover mental health, relationships and self-care.
Movember has been a huge success. Since 2003, it has helped to fund more than 1,250 men's health projects around the world. These projects are a mixture of direct help and assistance for people who are ill or struggling with mental health, as well as research programmes to help find cures and develop treatments. Movember has invested over €300 million in 600 biomedical research projects, funded four prostate cancer registries with over 200,000 men enrolled from 19 countries, and - of course - made the moustache a must have accessory for the month of November.
According to Movember, in Ireland, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and approximately 170 men in Ireland are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year. Most testicular cancer occurs in men under 45 years. These cancers are highly treatable but early detection and awareness of the symptoms is key. According to CSO data, suicide rates in men in 2020 were 14.2 per 100,000 compared to the female suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged between 15 and 29 in Ireland, and over the past two decades, middle-aged men (aged 45-54) in Ireland have experienced the highest average suicide rate of any age group.
Get involved
You can get involved this November by taking part in one of Movember's fundraising challenges, which include growing a moustache for the month of November, walking, or running 60km across the month or hosting a 'mo-ment' to raise awareness for men's health issues.
Sarah Ouellette, country manager for Ireland at Movember, said: "Movember has long been committed to changing the face of men's health, and through this partnership with FreeNow, we are expanding our reach and awareness in new and exciting ways. We invite all FreeNow passengers, driver partners and people all across Ireland to join us this Movember by donating, fundraising, or initiating those crucial conversations about men's health to save lives."
Adding to this, Elisa McKenna, Global Head of PR and Communications at FreeNow, said: "We are proud to partner with Movember to raise vital funds, awareness and help drive conversation around men's health during the month of November. In addition to raising money for Movember through our in-app Round Up and Donate feature, we'll also be offering a range of workshops and talks to our driver partners, covering subjects like mental health and self-care. We look forward to a successful collaboration with Movember as we work together to drive positive change."
Commenting on the launch, FreeNow campaign ambassador, TV presenter and Olympian, Greg O'Shea said: "I am delighted to team up with FreeNow to launch its partnership with Movember. Since it launched in 2003, Movember has done fantastic work in raising awareness for men's health issues and opening up the conversation around mental health. There can be a reluctance for men to talk about their health - physical or mental. By creating a conversation around the subject, we can hopefully continue to break down the perceived taboos around talking about these issues. I would also encourage all FreeNow passengers to turn on the Round Up and Donate feature on the app during November and help support this worthwhile cause."