By Rebecca Kerr 

As November approaches, men across the globe are ditching their razors and donning a ‘tache. This is not a style choice nor a Freddie Mercury cosplay, it’s an awareness campaign for men’s mental health.

One man every minute dies of suicide worldwide and the rate of male suicide is alarmingly disproportionate, with 75% of suicides reported in the UK done by men.

Despite this, men are less likely to seek help for their mental health than women.

The Movember Foundation is the leading charity dedicated to changing the face of men’s health, with a global cohort of ‘MoBro’ and ‘MoSis’ ambassadors.

Their largest campaign event sees men growing moustaches during November to raise awareness of men’s health issues – from prostate and testicular cancer to male suicide.

Robbie Wales is a fourth-year Education student at the University of Stirling who is kickstarting his role as Movember Ambassador.

At the forefront of Robbie’s advocacy work is raising awareness of men’s mental health, stemming from his past struggles with OCD and anxiety:

He said: “I have a strong personal connection to [The Movember Foundation] due to what I’ve been through in the past. I just want to do as much as I can to help men and encourage them to speak up about their mental health.”

Robbie worries that men are held to unrealistic expectations, saying: “I think we’re seen in society as these big, brave alpha brute forces who never show emotion.”

“So it’s no wonder that a lot of men are scared of being vulnerable and opening up about their mental health.”

Breaking the stigma around men’s mental health is the driving force for Robbie, who plans to spend the ‘Movember’ month campaigning and fundraising for the cause (as well as growing some face fuzz, of course).

So what’s in store for Stirling?

Robbie and his fellow ambassador, Rob, have packed their calendars with personal fundraising events as well as events that Stirling students can get involved in – from 24-hour fun runs to daily wellbeing challenges.

Robbie has also pitched the idea of an ‘Inside Out’ day, where students on campus will be encouraged to wear their clothes inside-out.

“It might seem a bit daft,” he joked, “but it will raise a lot of eyebrows and ultimately bring attention to the campaign.”

The message is simple: you need to get what’s on the inside out. Aligning with Robbie’s goal of breaking the stigma around mental health, the ‘Inside Out’ stunt hopes to encourage men to open up about their struggles.

As a final year student specialising in Secondary Physical Education, Robbie is keen to kickstart the conversation about mental health among young people.

“High school students have so much on their plates and it can really take a toll on their mental wellbeing.

“They need representation. They need to hear from people with lived experiences of mental health issues to show them that it’s not something to be embarrassed about or something that puts them at a disadvantage.”

“I would hate for any of my students to think ‘I’m dyslexic, I’m depressed or I have bipolar disorder so that means I won’t be successful’.”

Robbie looked up to his PE teachers as his ‘role models’ during his high school years and, as an aspiring PE teacher himself, he now realises the impact he could have on students.

Robbie hopes to act as a positive role model for young people by not only being someone they can talk to about their struggles – but also someone they can relate to.

“How can we expect kids to be vulnerable and open up about their mental health if we, as teachers, aren’t willing to do the same?”

During his school placement earlier this year, Robbie opened up to his students about his struggles with OCD and anxiety, saying: “It was a nerve-wracking conversation but one that needed to be had.”

The Scottish education system has been reformed in recent years, with mental health education now a mandatory part of the curriculum. Many teachers have also undergone training on suicide prevention and how to support young people who are struggling.

But Robbie says there is still work to be done:

“I think teachers tend to shy away from speaking about mental health too in-depth, as it’s such a personal topic.

“But it’s so important that young people are aware – from an early age – how to look after their mental health and that they are aware of the support available to them if they are struggling.

“All they need to do is speak up and realise that it’s ok not to be ok.”