Deadline: 15-Oct-20
Movember sees an opportunity within Covid-19 to tackle men’s mental health by launching the Social Connections Challenge (the “Challenge”) in five participating countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom through the direct investment of $3.54M AUD. (CAN $3.22M, IRE € 2.12M, NZ $3.77M, UK £1.86M).
The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the lives of millions globally. Early health data has demonstrated that while rates of Covid-19 are similar among men and women, the severity and mortality of Covid-19 appear to disproportionately impact boys and men, especially those from marginalized and minority backgrounds.
Movember’s global efforts to improve the mental health and wellbeing of men through an upstream prevention and early intervention approach can be leveraged through the mobilizing of ideas that work and then sharing and promoting with others.
Movember is looking for digital/technology-based solutions that are being utilized to maintain men’s social connections and manage their isolation while needing to be physically apart. Movember aims to address the mental health risks of vulnerable men by exploring innovative solutions that can potentially be scaled for long-term impact.
Program Goals
The goals for the Movember Challenge are to:
- Identify digital/technology-based solutions that work across different groups of men to increase their social connections
- Demonstrate that increased social connections improve men’s mental health in building resilience post-Covid
- Share and promote knowledge of potential solutions through digital and technological platforms
- Strengthen existing relationships/networks particularly during times of social distancing.
Funding Information
- Stage 1: Ideation: AUD $10,000
- Stage 2: Co-Development: AUD $140,000 to $250,000.
Priority Areas
The Movember Challenge will include geographical location, socio-economic status, gender, and cultural diversity among the following priority groups of men:
- Older men who live alone
- Men who have experienced recent relationship breakdown/family separation
- Men undergoing treatment for prostate/testicular cancer who are experiencing social isolation
- Bereaved men experiencing loss and managing grief while socially isolated
- Men living with mental health challenges who are at risk of substance misuse due to social isolation or who are in recovery
- Young men affected by education interruption or unemployment due to the economic downturn
- Men from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds who are unemployed and/or socially isolated.
Eligibility Criteria
This Movember Challenge encourages interest from across diverse populations and communities and aims to build capacity in the broad area of men’s health.
To be eligible for funding under the Movember Challenge, idea generators must:
- Be based in one of five participating countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK.
- be willing to work with an external evaluation team once the idea moves into the trial stage
- Participate in a Knowledge Community, to promote knowledge exchange, share project information and learning’s, and build capacity.
For more information, visit https://au.movember.com/story/12304
