By An Focal Editor, Chloe O’Keeffe
Movember is an annual fundraising event which takes place during the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health. The event was first set up in Australia in 2003 but has since become a worldwide event.
Movember UL is in its second year running and has already exceeded last year’s total fundraising. Last year the team raised an amazing €4,458 however as of Sunday November 1st the fundraising page has had €6,500 worth of donations.
The main aim of Movember is “to change the face of men’s health,” Movember UL founder, Tariq El-Masri.
Movember UL are encouraging students of UL to get involved and join their team and the University of Limerick Challenge. All and any self- driven challenge is welcome. Many are growing a mo’ for the month. You can also Move for Movember; challenge yourself to walk or run 60km over the month. 60km for the 60 men lost to suicide every hour across the world.
The three areas Movember aims to raise awareness are mental health, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.
The main areas the organisation wants to tackle by 2030 is to reduce male suicide worldwide by 25%, half the amount of men that experience poor physical health as well as half the amount of deaths that occur as a result of prostate and testicular cancer. Prostate cancer can be tested with a simple blood prick test, more commonly known as the prostate health index (PHI). This tests for a certain enzyme that is released from the prostate glands.
Testicular cancer is very prevalent in young men, but when caught early it is very easily treated.
Suicide is the biggest cause of death for men in their mid-20s to 39years in Ireland and Movember UL will be hosting a range of mental health talks over the course of Movember, breaking the stigma surrounding male mental health.
This year, Movember UL pledges to be even better than last year, and there will be virtual events running weekly over the next four weeks to fundraise for the event.
Mo- Talks will be back this year, and guests included for these talks include UL graduate Cathy Osikoya who will be speaking about her new documentary Unsilencing Black Voices; Clodagh Guerin, founder of the Anytime of the Month initiative; Student Life Welfare Officer Peadar Collins who will be speaking about his Speak for 15 movement.
Other events include Moga sessions on Mondays with Aisling O’Neill of Yoga with Aisling, as well as a Mocktail Masterclass done in collaboration with Coqbull Castletroy.
All links for Movember UL are available at their linktree, https://linktr.ee/MovemberUL and this year Movember UL have linked up with the PVA and hours can be logged with them for participation.
Molly Cantwell 
Olivia O'Dwyer