Moustaches were spotted all around campus this November. Rather than being a pure fashion statement, however, their owners sported them to raise awareness for men’s health. As part of the Movember campaign, students participated in challenges that went beyond growing facial hair, raising nearly €60,000.
The heart of this year’s Movember campaign at Trinity was a novel “Rose of Tralee”-style beauty pageant, in collaboration with Trinity Ents. Twelve male Trinity students went head-to-head to compete for victory, each representing a different society. In an effort to raise funds for the Movember campaign, they completed a variety of challenges throughout the month. The winner was announced at Moball – the highlight of Movember. Eventgoers gathered on the evening of November 19th in The Sugar Club to witness Jorge Bodas, the DU Climbing Society’s candidate, be crowned as the first-ever Trinity rose. Commenting on his participation, the theoretical physics student from Mallorca, Spain said that aside from “growing a great moustache”, he appreciated Movember as a “great cause to take the stigma away from men’s mental health”. Musical entertainment for the sold-out event was provided by The Trinitones, various DJ sets, and The Wallopers. The latter had won a Battle of the Bands competition held in the Pavillion Bar earlier this month.
Movember is a global campaign, looking to raise awareness for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. This year’s Movember at Trinity was officially fronted by Trinity Ents for the first time ever, promising a campaign that is “bigger than ever”. Throughout the month, they collaborated with various societies to raise awareness and funds for the cause. As of November 23rd, the college-wide campaign has raised more than €58,000, surpassing last year’s outcome, and nearing the €65,000 goal. Aside from Moball, a variety of events were organised to support the cause. This included a daily sea swim, a creative exhibition with a fashion show featuring the twelve Trinity Roses, a dating show to compete for a MoBall date, and “Deck The Halls”, a Christmas-themed party in collaboration with Trinity Halls JCR. Moreover, flowers were given out to men on campus for International Men’s Day, highlighting how “most men don’t receive roses until their funeral”.
Trinity Ents also held their own fundraiser in support of Movember. To incentivise donations, twelve forfeits were published, each to be completed by a member of the Ents committee when a certain donation goal was reached. The challenges ranged from wearing sandals to campus, to getting the Trinity Ents logo tattooed. As of November 23rd, Trinity Ents has raised nearly €250.
Movember is a global campaign brought to life in 2003 by a group of Australian men wanting to raise awareness for men’s health issues. The campaign quickly spread globally, as men increasingly grew out their moustaches for charity each November. In the past year alone, the Movember foundation has generated an income upwards of $138 million.
