Opinion Piece: What are we doing about men dying too young?

Travis Garone, Movember Co-Founder & Board Director.

Two in five men won’t make it to 75, most from preventable causes.

For young men, suicide takes more lives than anything else.

These aren’t just statistics, they’re families losing brothers, fathers and mates too soon.

22 years ago, we started Movember with a simple idea: get a few mates to grow moustaches, raise some money, and start a serious conversation that no one else was having - about men’s health. Back in 2003 we knew it would be a long stretch to get every guy on the planet to grow moustaches, yet we gave it a go. Today it’s grown into a global movement, with tens of millions of people uniting to change the face of men’s health.

At its heart, Movember has always been a grassroots, community-led movement. The moustache is the symbol of change, but the movement belongs to everyone who grows, donates, shares, and participates.

In Australia, over 2.1 million people have helped Movember over the past five years. That includes both men and women, because poor men’s health affects everyone and everything: from relationships at home, to workplaces, and broader communities. And it is going to take all of us - people with unique lived experiences, understanding and insights - to respond in ways that are complex, innovative, and above all, effective.

We’ve never tried to do it all. We’re not a crisis line or a government department. We focus upstream where we can make the biggest difference: prevention and early action to help men live longer, healthier, happier lives. We go to where men are and face problems before they reach breaking point, changing systems that haven’t been working for men.

That’s why over the past five years we’ve spent over $385m in prevention-focused programs: from prostate and testicular cancer research and early detection, through to pioneering work in depression, anxiety, suicide prevention and healthy relationships. Male cancer research and programs have been in our DNA since day one. In the past five years the Movember community has put more than $137m into Cancer, 35 percent of funds invested, driving new blood tests, better scans and new therapies that give men more time.

We face up where the risks are greatest for men. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50, which is why our investment has grown from $13m in 2021 to over $34m in 2025.

But our approach is not just about funding - it’s about backing what works and giving it scale. Movember works with boys and young men in grassroots initiatives through sporting clubs, in the online world through esports and gaming, as well as with older guys through cancer programs and advocacy support. We’ve built the evidence-based Men in Mind program, which trains clinicians to better connect with men in therapy, and we invest in cutting-edge research that identifies the drivers of distress and creates real-world solutions.

Researchers at our Movember Institute of Men’s Health have shown that relationship breakdown is one of the biggest drivers of male suicide. Among men aged 25-44, experiencing a separation increases the risk of suicidal thoughts by 82%. Compared to married men, separated men have an almost five-times greater risk of suicide. These findings are already shaping clinical training, program design, and community interventions - giving men tools to stay healthier and more resilient in the moments that matter most.

Prevention also means working with young men before problems take hold. That’s what our Ahead of the Game program is about - a program we deliver in partnership with the AFL, alongside 26 organisations, that reached more than 20,000 young participants in 2025. By embedding health promotion and prevention in the places young men already are - in clubs, teams, and communities - we’re building coping skills that last a lifetime. Ahead of the Game isn’t just about sport. It’s about teaching boys the skills to talk, cope, and support each other when life gets tough. It’s prevention in action, and it’s saving lives.

We’ve never done this alone. Movember works because we do it with others: mates helping mates. That’s the way it started and it’s still the way it works today. When the Australian Government committed $32 million - the largest federal investment in men’s health in our history - it wasn’t Movember alone that delivered it. It was the voices of thousands of people and the leadership of organisations across the country who we stood alongside.

Partnerships like these are everywhere. We’re proud to stand beside organisations like Top Blokes, Suicide Prevention Australia, Healthy Male, The Men’s Shed and Everymind, to name a few. Together, we’re shaping a landscape where prevention comes first.

And through it all, the moustache remains our most powerful symbol; it’s our ribbon, our badge and catalyst for conversation. Every November, millions of men and their supporters grow a Mo, sparking conversations, raising awareness, and making men’s health visible in ways no campaign ever has. It’s a cultural phenomenon with a purpose - every whisker represents lives changed and lives saved.

As co-founder and a board director of Movember, I have the privilege of working closely with our CEO Michelle Terry and our Movember Men’s Health Institute Director, Professor Simon Rice. They are leading world-class teams who are driving this movement forward with intelligence, passion, and vision. From breakthrough research to community partnerships, their leadership ensures that the valuable dollars raised by our supporters translates into real impact for men’s health.

This is what Movember is all about. A movement. A community. Millions of people around the world choosing to act together to change the face of men’s health. Looking back, I’m proud of what this community has achieved. But looking ahead, I’m even more hopeful and determined. Because the truth is, men’s health is everyone’s business.

- Travis Garone, Co-Founder and Board Director, Movember