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Companies That Care- JED Foundation Finds Creative Ways to Support Teen Mental Health

Julia Szynal

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July 13, 2020

The JED Foundation is a non-profit organization working to prevent teen suicides in the United States. JED works to strengthen mental health in teens by partnering with schools and colleges, as well as substance abuse and suicide prevention programs and systems. Today, JED is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to young adult mental health and has championed their campaign and movement to “Seize The Awkward.” By bringing mental health to the forefront of the media, JED is helping to normalize conversations about suicide prevention between peers while also providing a plethora of resources. In fact, JED partnered with the Ad Council, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Droga5 to launch their new campaign, “Whatever Gets You Talking.” This is a groundbreaking way to support teens digitally, in a manner consistent with their digital lifestyles. While in person support is very important, this will also allow teens the opportunity to reach a community in a familiar matter. With the continuing effects of the Coronavirus, this information and resource could not be more valuable.

“The music video is the new cornerstone of the fully integrated campaign and leads audiences to seizetheawkward.org. It is complemented by a suite of digital, social, radio and broadcast assets directing to seizetheawkward.org/coronavirus, a landing page offering young people creative ways to reach out and stay connected with their friends during this difficult time, as well as tips and guidance on managing their own emotional wellbeing. To make it easy for young people to act and reach out, 36 artists across the world have created over 70 specially crafted conversation starters – GIFs and stickers on GIPHY – that anyone can easily send to a friend they’re worried about. The original song “Whatever Gets You Talking” performed by Akinyemi will also be available across music streaming platforms.” – JED Foundation

What exactly is “Seize The Awkward?”  Learn more: https://seizetheawkward.org/home#what-is-seize-the-awkward  Watch this video: https://youtu.be/RIowIKzEgT0

Watch “Whatever Gets You Talking” Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGOaN0jLFXA

Article Credit: Seize the Awkward Reminds Young People Everywhere That You Don’t Need to Be There, to Be There

Logo Credit: https://www.jedfoundation.org

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Julia Szynal

Julia is a junior at Boston College, majoring in Applied Psychology and Human Development with a concentration in Special Education and two minors: Restorative and Transformational Justice and Cybersecurity. She is from Summit, NJ, and in her free time, loves to watch movies, go to SoulCycle, and play lacrosse.