On why we’ve become Polished Men

There’s no doubt YGAP’s Polished Man campaign is a slick one.

If you haven’t had a look yet, check it out here. With a smooth design and an ambassador list that reads like a red carpet attendance sheet, Polished Man certainly has a pull factor unlike most other fundraising campaigns.

It’s certainly attention-grabbing, but that’s not why we’re behind it.

We’re here for a decidedly less glamorous reason. We’re supporting this year’s Polished Man campaign because of the shocking statistic that one child dies every five minutes as a result of violence.

One child every five minutes.

The longer you think about it, the more unsettling it becomes. So the Polished Man campaign asks men (and women) to paint one fingernail throughout October as a visual reminder of the harrowing ‘one every five’ statistic. It also serves as a conversation starter, raising awareness and funds to end violence against children.

As for where the money goes, there’s no straight answer. Unlike most other fundraising campaigns, Polished Man does not raise money for a single charity. The aim is to end violence against children for good, requiring more than just a singular band-aid solution. Instead, YGAP takes a comprehensive approach to the issue, attacking the major root cause of violence against children: poverty.

According to YGAP, the majority of children who fall victim to violence live without access to a quality education or health care services, live in an unsafe home or have parents facing unemployment.

All funds raised through Polished Man are channelled into trauma recovery and trauma prevention programs for children who have suffered or are at risk of suffering violence globally. This is via a two-pronged approach.

YGAP works for trauma prevention via their entrepreneurs, running ventures that target a major root cause of violence against children. They also provide emergency relief to those that have survived physical or sexual violence. YGAP then selects beneficiaries who work across trauma recovery, such as World Vision, Australian Childhood Foundation, Hagar International and The New York Centre for Children.

As an official sponsor of this year’s campaign, we’re in good company. Grill’d has offered five days of free burgers to anyone who raises or donates $30, while those who kickstart their own fundraising are delivered a Casa Amuk T-shirt as part of their starter kit.

As for us, we’re taking 15% off all online stock throughout the month of October with our discount code ‘Polished Man’. At the end of the month, we’ll donate 10% of all our October profits to Polished Man, to end violence against children for good.

If you’d like to do more, it’s not too late to sign up to Team Triumph & Disaster and start raising money. You can also donate directly here.   

Join us in ending violence against children, for good.