Movember allocates AUD$2.38m to five men’s mental health projects
Movember has awarded five men’s health projects a combined AUD$2.38m as part of phase two of its Digital Social Connections Challenge.
Two of these initiatives are from Australia: The Cave on Twitch, developed by The Man Cave, and YBMenNT, delivered by Flinders University.
The Digital Social Connections Challenge (DSCC) was launched in 2020 to support technology-based projects that improve social connection in men and strengthen their overall mental health.
The Cave on Twitch helps teenage boys navigate positive social connection through online gaming.
YBMenNT aims to engage young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Males (aged 15-25) from the Northern Territory through a private social media group to generate strengths-based discussions around mental health, cultural identity and progressive concepts of manhood and masculinity.
The other projects that received funding were:
Digital Literacy MEN delivered by Age Action Ireland which aims to improve the well-being and social connectedness of older men living in rural Ireland, by giving them digital skills to interact online.
The Cha in the City – Peer Support for Punjabi Men project from Taraki Wellbeing in the UK which aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness among Punjabi men through peer support.
Gamers v Depression delivered by Play Aid CIC in the UK, which focuses on the gaming community across the UK, Ireland and Australia, and also embeds psychological first aiders within esports teams.
The first phase of DSCC saw 11 men’s health projects around the world benefit from $3.72m in funding to co-develop their projects with Movember over a two-year period.
“We’re excited to be embarking on the second phase of this challenge. We have selected 5 projects, which have shown strong outcomes to move forward to second phase - implementation and evaluation over the next two years,” said Ivy Lim-Carter, Director, Social Connections, Mental Health & Suicide Prevention at Movember.
“We want to determine and test whether these projects will work in real world settings and if they strengthen social connections and improve mental health outcomes. We’re now looking forward to seeing how these projects develop and positively impact the lives of boys and men and their communities.”
Read also: Movember allocates $3.5m to 11 men’s mental health projects (AMHF, June 2021)