The truism holds: honestly acknowledging a problem is half the battle. Teenagers are facing a mental health crisis and life challenges unlike anything faced by other generations. We set out to convince people of the issue and offer some guidance forward. We aimed to reach parents and grandparents who want to support their teenagers, but don’t know how. Our goal was to help adults understand and help a young person in crisis.
Teenagers are facing a mental health crisis and life challenges unlike anything faced by other generations. According to the CDC, suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 18. Our strategy was to humanize the statistics through a first person account and start a conversation about what more can be done. We captured the story of a 16-year-old from the Midwest whose experience with depression and attempted suicide can provide hope to parents.
The video has generated a huge response across AARP’s digital platforms. It has more than 500,000 views and over 6,000 engagements across Facebook and YouTube.
People from all walks of life left comments about how enlightening the video was to them:
“Her words are so powerful…thank you for opening my eyes.”
“Your testimony should be viewed in every middle school and high school.”
“I hope and Pray that Children, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles will be Enlightened, Empowered and Encouraged to Reach Out by Your Helpful Information.”
“I learned a lot here and will maybe be able to help someone someday.”
