Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults. Even though checking in on a friend and talking about mental health can make such a big difference, many young people are hesitant to do so because it can sometimes feel awkward.
To make a difference, two years ago Droga5 NY launched “Seize the Awkward,” in collaboration with the Ad Council, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Jed Foundation (JED). The national suicide-prevention campaign focused on making the potential awkwardness around the conversation less daunting.
Now the next iteration of "Seize the Awkward" focuses on directly encouraging 16-24-year-olds to take action and start a conversation, giving them the tools and language to reach out to a friend about their mental health.
To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month and the important life experiences young people are missing out on this May–from prom to graduation, or new jobs and moving out–young people are being encouraged to check in with their friends.
Right now, reaching out and checking in on a friend’s mental health is more important than ever. Keeping our physical distance doesn’t mean we have to be socially distant. You don’t have to be there to be there for a friend.
To kick things off, the “Seize the Awkward” campaign teamed up with up-and-coming rapper Akinyemi and director Kristian Mercado Figueroa to create “Whatever Gets You Talking,” a colorful musical film that flaunts the sheer breadth of ways to help start a conversation.
The music video speaks directly to viewers who might be struggling to find a way to reach out to a friend about their mental health. In a magical fashion, Akinyemi’s voice appears to guide us all through the different ways we can reach out and ultimately start a conversation with our friends.
Throughout the lyrical journey, assorted conversation starters have been beautifully brought to life by a global crew of animators and artists all with their own distinctive characters and styles. Even some big-name influencers whom the target audience knows and loves lent their talents, such as Addison Rae, Avery Cyrus, Bryce Xavier, Molly Burke, mxmtoon, James Henry, The McFarlands, and Zach Valentine and Pat Ramirez, and pop icon Meghan Trainor.
To make it even simpler for people to take action and reach out, the campaign partnered with 36 artists across the world to create over 70 specially crafted conversation starters that launched on social and dazzling GIFs and stickers on GIPHY that anyone could easily send to a friend that they’re worried about.
