Last month marked the tenth year in which the members of De Raad grew moustaches to raise awareness for men’s mental health and collect funds for research into prostate and testicular cancer. Business administration student and member Youri Kuhn, who serves as a student ambassador, aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health and make psychological support for men a topic of open discussion.
Jasper Gombault, who started the fraternity’s annual fundraising campaign ten years ago, has a personal connection to Movember. He lost his grandfather to prostate cancer at a young age and has been raising money for research into the prevention and treatment of the disease since he was 19. “Back when I was a student, RSG members would pay for their 3.50-euro dinners with 5-euro notes, and I encouraged them to put the remaining 1.50 euros into a pot for charity.” After participating in Movember himself for several years, other members of De Raad joined the initiative.
Charities
Participants in Movember do not choose where the funds they raise go. “The money is sent to Movember, and the organisation distributes it”, says Youri. The funds are not solely allocated to research into prostate and testicular cancer but also go towards suicide prevention. One of the group members lost his father to suicide. “Some of us had recently seen his father at the Rotterdam marathon; no one suspected anything was wrong, and a week later, he was gone.”
According to Youri, men often hide their true emotions, making mental health issues difficult to detect. “Men need to know it’s essential to talk about their feelings.”
Moustaches as a symbol of awareness
Jasper emphasises the importance of prevention, particularly for diseases like prostate cancer. He believes men over the age of 45 should get tested for prostate or testicular cancer every five years. “More men die with prostate cancer than from it”, he explains, adding that non-aggressive forms of prostate cancer are generally manageable.
“The moustache itself encourages conversations in November”, Jasper says. People often asked him why he participated in Movember, giving him the chance to share his story. “It makes people pause and consider the possibility of getting tested, as well as the fact that prostate cancer is highly treatable nowadays.” The moustache acts as a conversation starter about cancer and mental health. “It’s important that we bring these topics into the open. In November, your moustache becomes a symbol of awareness.”
The best moustache
“Last year, my moustache wasn’t great, but this year it was an actual ‘moustache’ rather than just a few hairs”, he jokes. Many others also improved their efforts compared to last year. “But there were a few where you wondered if they even participated at all”, he laughs. According to Youri, Mats had the best moustache this year. “And Jasper, but Jasper’s in his 30s now, while Mats is in his 20s.”
Youri and his fellow members are thrilled to have surpassed their target by more than 3,000 euros. “On 30 November, we were ranked first in the Netherlands; we never expected to raise this much.”
