Movember – an interview with Justin Coghlan
- 1. Movember – an interview with Justin Coghlan INTERVIEW Aoibheann Ní Shúilleabháin, Communications Manager, IPU Justin Coghlan is one of the co-founders of the Movember Foundation, the world’s largest men’s health organisation, dedicated to changing the face of men’s health. He was in Dublin recently to discuss the four main reasons that men in this country are dying too young – testicular cancer, prostate cancer, physical inactivity and mental health. IPU Communications Manager Aoibheann Ní Shúilleabháin caught up with him in advance of this November’s campaign. 18 IPUREVIEW NOVEMBER 2016
- 2. How did the idea of Movember come about? It all began as a conversation in a bar, with a joke about bringing back the moustache! Friends were then talked into growing a Mo, and the campaign around it, inspired by breast cancer funding, evolved to raise funds for prostate cancer. The first 30 Mo bros did it with such enthusiasm that, in 2004, after some more research into men’s health and prostate cancer, we decided to formalise the concept and get as many participants as possible involved in the cause. As they say, the rest is history. In just a few short years, Movember has become an international campaign – why do you think the campaign became so successful? When we began in 2003, the moustache wasn’t really popular, so growing one made a real statement. Then, we began to tap into the zeitgeist of the times. It went from antithesis of fashion to height of fashion and we were doing our thing right along with it. The Mo became a statement in itself. People had fun growing, and here in Ireland, the Irish are some of the most giving people in the world. Since those first few years, Movember’s grown at an extraordinary pace – we never could have imagined it. There are now official campaigns in 21 countries and together we’ve raised more than €516 million to fund over 1,000 men’s health programmes. We’re the only charity tackling men’s health on a global scale. Movember has expanded from a focus on prostate and testicular cancer to also include mental health. Was there a reason for this decision? When we first started Movember, prostate cancer was the biggest killer of men. When we looked into it, we discovered that there was an easy solution to this – it required detection and active surveillance. So, we knew we could change the game if we got guys to look into it. We didn’t specifically look to be a cancer charity, we chose it because it was the biggest killer. We want men to live healthier, happier, longer lives and mental health is a central element to that mission. As Movember grew, we decided that mental health had to be part of our story and the conversation we wanted to ignite. We had all previously lost friends to suicide. I’d buried a lot of friends, all of the founders had buried friends. So mental health was something very close to our hearts. At the end of the day, Movember is about the whole man. We’ll always look to bring attention to the biggest health concerns for men – whether that be cancer, mental health, physical inactivity or something else. Our strategy is all about going where men need us most. What emphasis are you putting on mental health issues? We want all men to be mentally aware and we’re investing in this through Movember. We want to raise as much awareness as possible about mental health here in Ireland through a strategic approach to suicide prevention – encouraging men to reach out, particularly during times of change and when things get tough; take action sooner rather than later to reduce the risk of suicide. Each week, we have, on average, 10 suicides in Ireland, eight of which are men. This is an unspoken social crisis that demands immediate action. For World Suicide Prevention Day this year, we created a powerful piece of video content that would ignite important conversation about suicide, the complex issues that surround it and what everyone can do to address it; conversations that we hope will save lives and prevent the far-reaching and painful consequences for the families, friends and communities of the men tragically lost every day. It’s an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s one that needs to be had, here in Ireland and around the world. It’s time to break this silence and recognise that a key to overcoming even the biggest problems is for men to talk more. Not about trivial stuff, but about the significant changes and challenges going on in their lives – things like difficulties with work or finances, the breakdown of a relationship, overwhelming family responsibilities or a significant set-back. These things happen regularly and, for some, have the potential to derail or be more overwhelming than they’d imagined. Millions of men across the world take part in Movember each year but do you think they are actively looking after their health? Yeah, definitely. 75% of men who have done Movember are more aware of the health risks they face and 62% take direct action to improve their health. Where do you see the campaign going from here – what vision do you have for the future of Movember? Our vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. By 2030, we’ve committed to: n Reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. n Halve the number of deaths from prostate and testicular cancer. n Reduce the number of men taking their own lives by 25%. Justin heads up the Global Innovations team at the Movember Foundation, focusing on long-term, global projects designed to develop the already significant success of the brand, with particular emphasis on how the Movember Foundation can stay as an industry leader, whilst keeping their ethos of having fun and doing things in the Movember way. Find out more and sign up for Movember at Movember.com. “ We’ll always look to bring attention to the biggest health concerns for men – whether that be cancer, mental health, physical inactivity or something else. Our strategy is all about going where men need us most.” IPUREVIEW NOVEMBER 2016 19