Whatever will save a bro
How will you be helping a Mo Bro or a Mo Sister this Movember ? Grow a moustache ; move for Movember ; host a Mo-Ment or Mo your own way ?
November is a month dedicated to the awareness of men ’ s mental health , suicide prevention , prostate cancer and testicular cancer – dubbed Movember .
It began in 2003 with the idea of growing a moustache to fundraise – 30 people joined up in fact – now it ’ s global with more than five million participants , according to the Movember charity .
Money raised funds groundbreaking health projects across mental health and suicide prevention , prostate cancer and testicular cancer – a total of 1,250 projects so far . These include :
Digital Dads Groups : provide a safe virtual space for isolated dads to find the support and connection they need to manage the day-to-day stresses of parenthood and social isolation .
Man Cave TV : a video platform that provides young men ( aged between 12- 18 ) with the tools to build their emotional
MOVEMBER 2021
intelligence , social connectedness and improve their relationships . The team creates funny , educational and dynamic video content ( on topics such as sex , death , wellbeing and relationships ) that will help to challenge perceptions of traditional masculinity .
The Check Mate app : allows young male Australian tradesmen to have conversations about their wellbeing using smartphones . It lets men check in on their mates if they think something is wrong via an AI-mediated , anonymous text conversation .
The AI provides different ways of asking how someone is doing and gives the person options on how to reply . It also provides links to support and clinical mental health services if needed . It will detect signs of high-risk where a human moderator is necessary .
The Movember charity aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 per cent by 2030 . So , get cracking and find your Hills Shire event , sign up or donate at : au . movember . com .
Design a bookmark for libraries
Children aged 14 and under have a chance to design a bookmark for The Hills Shire Library Service to celebrate its reopening after lockdown .
The Worlds of Wonder Summer Reading Bookmark Design Competition is open to children and teenagers across three age groups : 5-7 years , 8-10 years and 11-14 years .
Winning designs – one from each age group – will be printed into bookmarks and distributed throughout branches for the coming year .
Winning artists will receive a book pack prize .
Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne said the competition is a fantastic way to help children develop a love of books and reading and showcase their creativity .
“ I can ’ t wait to see all the bookmark designs . We are looking for originality , creativity and it also needs to be reflective of our ‘ Worlds of Wonder ’ theme ,” Mayor Byrne said . How to enter :
Download the bookmark template from The Hills Shire Library Service website : thehills . nsw . gov . au / Library .
Create your design using the theme ‘ Worlds of Wonder ’.
Submit your work before Monday , 8 November at 11.59pm .
Entries can be submitted online or in-person at any Hills Shire Library branch – Castle Hill , Dural , Baulkham Hills and Vinegar Hill Memorial Library at Rouse Hill Town Centre by the closing date .
Kids , make your mark by designing The Hills Shire Council ’ s next set of official bookmarks .
Picture : Haneen Krimly , Unsplash .
8 ISSUE 77 // NOVEMBER 2021 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT