{"id":3564,"date":"2015-10-29T00:32:32","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T00:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theduanewells.com\/?p=3564"},"modified":"2018-07-27T16:04:35","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T16:04:35","slug":"celebrating-the-essence-of-the-polished-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/celebrating-the-essence-of-the-polished-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the Essence of the \u2018Polished Man\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Elliott-Costello-PM\"<\/a>
YGAP CEO Elliott Costello, A Polished Man<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The contemporary notion of \u2018polish\u2019 has become synonymous with a range of superficial attributes ranging from the cut of a man\u2019s pants and the shine of his shoes to the grooming of his person and the affectation of his speech. But the true definition of a \u201cpolished man\u201d cuts deeper, encompassing not only the man without but also the man within.<\/p>\n

YGAP, an Australia-based organization working to empower communities disadvantaged by poverty to become self-sustainable, recognized this distinction and launched the Polished Man Challenge <\/em>in acknowledgement of it. This unique fundraising initiative is centered around\u00a0an innovative campaign that challenges men to help end violence against children by raising awareness and funds to support the 1 in 5 children who suffer physical and sexual violence before the age of 18. To this end, men around the globe are encouraged to paint a single nail for the duration of the campaign as a symbol of their support.<\/p>\n

The idea for the campaign was sparked when YGAP\u2019s CEO, Elliott Costello, met a young girl named Thea while visiting Hagar International, one of YGAP\u2019s project partners, \u00a0in Cambodia. Though Costello and Thea did not share a common language,\u00a0the two played Tic-Tac-Toe and other games for hours. At the end of the night, Thea drew a heart on Elliot\u2019s palm, and then painted all of his nails blue.\u00a0 And so the idea \u00a0for the Polished Man initiative was born.<\/p>\n

While this year\u2019s campaign has been focused on the period between October 1st<\/sup>\u00a0and 15th<\/sup>, funds raised through\u00a0November 10th<\/sup><\/strong>\u00a0will still benefit this year’s campaign so there\u2019s still time sign up and help.\u00a0With two weeks left to donate, here are 5 creative ways you can join the campaign to help the 1-in-5 children who experience violence globally:<\/p>\n