Twestival happens once a year around the world.  It’s more than a tweet up — it’s a global movement supporting charities. The Twitter festival uses social media for social good by connecting online communities in real life to highlight important causes. Oh, and it’s amazingly fun.

This year Twestival is going local in cities, meaning each Twestival will raise funds and awareness for local nonprofits. Vancouver’s cause is Beauty Night Society.

The founder, Carolne MacGillivary describes Beauty Night Society as ”.. an award winning, volunteer-run, registered Canadian charity that builds self esteem and changes lives of women and youth living in poverty through three streams of programs: wellness, life skills development and makeovers. Through this we give life-makeovers.”

Working in the Downtown East Side neighbourhood, we see just how much help women, seniors, street youth and mothers need. You can read more and support this wonderful cause here.

A big congratulations to the wonderful organizers, Rebecca, Marc, Azita, Kirsten, Kim, Melissa, Bob, and Sonia. Tickets are sold out! But you can still help the cause by donating.

We luckily snagged tickets and can’t wait to see everybody at this community building event.

What’s Movember, you ask? Movember is a worldwide movement which rallies gentlemen to grow moustaches during November to raise awareness and funds for cancers affecting men. Each Movember, men (“Mo Bros”) are challenged to start the month clean-shaven and grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the hairy ribbon for men’s health and the guys growing them become a walking billboard for 30 days – both on the street and online, through The Moscars contest. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache, sparking hundreds of conversations about the seemingly taboo topics of men’s health and prostate cancer. Funds raised in the US will benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, and Prostate Cancer Canada in Canada. Women (or “Mo Sistas”) are also invited to participate by helping to rally and support their male friends!

Anyone across the globe can create and submit up to three 3-minute Movember-inspired videos for the chance to win awesome prizes and help drive awareness for the cause. The Movember video contest closes December 10, 2010, so hurry up and get your videos in! Voting for the winning entries is open to the general public, and winners will be publicly announced December 15th, 2010. For more information about the contest, its rules, and the prizes, visit www.memelabs.com/moscars.

To signify overcoming fears and taking on challenges, participants had the opportunity to rappel off a 22-story building (999 West Hastings), while dressed as ridiculously as possible (or as their favorite superhero or character). Julien chose the banana suit.

After rappelling, Julien said, “Everyone needs to rappel down a 22-story building in a banana costume at some point in their life.”

Go Wireless, the Vancouver-based communications company, sponsored Julien to be able to participate. You can find them online here or on Twitter at @gowirelesscares.

Check out the photos of Julien rappelling below, and find more photos here on Flickr!

Invoke has begun a long-term partnership with the charity and non-profit F*ck Cancer, and donated a Facebook App to help with the month-long F-tember campaign.

FCancer is a charity movement founded in Vancouver last year that strives to activate Gen Y to educate their parents about check-ups, risk factors, family history and other early detection measures. Early detection has proven to be the most successful cure for cancer, and parents are more likely to listen to the advice of their children over friends, peers and doctors.

Raising awareness about early cancer detection has never been easier! Through the Facebook App, you can “donate” your Facebook and Twitter status updates to the movement, by sharing new cancer facts and advice that are featured each day of the month. Invoke is also currently working with FCancer to redesign their website and creating a unique contest platform, to be launching soon.

“Working with Invoke is allowing us to use the best medium to reach Gen Y, social media, to get our message out there,” said Yael Cohen, founder of FCancer. “Invoke is a company that’s aligned with our fresh, outspoken approach to raising awareness about early cancer detection.”

So, September is Now F-Tember. Go online and let people know about it!