As you walk around the halls of Community this month, you may notice that some people are, well, a little hairier. This isn’t just kids forgetting to shave — they’re celebrating No Shave November.

No Shave November, an event in which people don’t shave for the entire month, has mixed roots but mainly originated from the Australian event “Movember”. Started in 1999, participants would shave on November 1 and grow a moustache for the rest of the month. Eventually, the Movember Foundation was born, aimed at getting people to join in the Movember movement to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

Carlos Jackson, a junior at CHS, is participating this year after he attempted No Shave November last year. “I got tired of not shaving,” admitted Jackson. He decided to try again this year, though, to raise prostate cancer awareness. He explains that his support is mainly symbolic. “I saw something online about how a lot of people are doing it to support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. And I thought it sounded like a good idea.”

Jackson notes that the No Shave November movement seems to be growing, though it is still not that big. “I’ve only heard two or three people talking about it, whereas previous years I wasn’t hearing anyone talking about it,” said Jackson. Movember’s increased fundraising reflects this growing awareness: the total amount raised in 2009 was $42.3 million; in 2010, the charity raised nearly double that, $80.7 million.

The event is not restricted to just males. Girls can participate too by not shaving their legs or armpits for the month.

Although people participate in No Shave November for a multitude of reasons, Jackson chose to do it for charity. While the media often covers news about supporting breast cancer and breast cancer awareness, “you don’t hear much about supporting awareness for things that affect men,” said Jackson. “I guess I’ve seen things in the news where they say ‘Oh, you should go get your prostate checked,’ but that’s pretty much it. It’s not, like, a really big thing.”

Jackson is now getting used to his change in habits. “It’s easier. I don’t have to shave; I don’t get nicks all over my face,” he said. He noted that he doesn’t think it’ll get in the way of his daily life.

“I think it’ll end up being a positive experience,” said Jackson.

Visit the Movember website, http://us.movember.com/, to sign up for or learn more about the cause.