November is Men’s prostate cancer and mental health awareness month, with breast cancer awareness month occuring the month before.

For the occasion, multiple schools have initiated interesting events to raise awareness for these issues.

Mental health has become an increasingly significant issue to address within our society

In Movember, men shave off their facial hair at the start of the month and grow it back out to demonstrate their support for men’s prostate and mental health awareness.

In schools, moustache stickers and other goods are being sold for around $2-3 to raise funds and awareness among students

Some of the schools have also initiated health month bake sales, where students bake cookies, brownies, and muffins to raise funds.

All the donations made through the moustaches and bake sale are going to the school charity.

Students promote these events through various mediums such as assemblies, videos and posters.

To further increase student engagement, some of the schools have announced student and staff shaving fundraisers, where donation goals are marked by a student or staff member shaving their head.

Of course, the schools have received agreements from students and staff to shave their head in advance, and during the actual shaving event, people convene in a circle to watch people getting their head shaved.

Though much has been done to increase awareness for mental health treatment and education, people are often indifferent towards their emotions and mental health, ignoring the warning signals that their body sends to them.

According to American Psychology Association’s research, 33% of people do not consider anxiety as a mental illness, and 22% answered the same for depression as well.

Surprisingly  people still don't take into account anxiety and depression—one of the most common mental illnesses that people struggle with—which suggests a potentially huge number of people who don’t seek help while struggling with these mental illnesses.

One of the major causes that hinder people from asking for help is the lingering stigma against mental health.

Especially in Asian countries, people are discouraged to open and discuss their mental illness.

According to UCLA health, “in some Asian cultures, mental health challenges are viewed as an individual problem or weakness and talking openly about sadness, disappointment or depression is rarely encouraged”

Through regular educational lectures from school about mental health and where to approach for help, students have begun to recognize the importance of being aware of their mental state and asking for help when they need it.

People should be able to seek help whenever they feel insecure and are struggling with their mental health without hesitation.

For students, they can always approach trustable adults such as teachers, school counsellors, and parents to discuss their struggles.

Taking breaks and having time for self-reflection are also recommended ways to organise their thoughts and emotions.

Despite the dramatic improvement of mental health awareness in the past few years, there is still a huge gap to fill in for further improvement.

For the students in these schools, Movember activities are just one of many efforts to make that change possible.

Yujin Son

Australian International School

Year 11