Childline launches: ‘We all feel it’ campaign
Childline has launched a mental health campaign to support young people struggling to reach out for mental health support – particularly males.
Why the campaign is important:
Childline data suggests that mental health is a top concern for the young males who contact Childline, with almost half (46%) of their counselling sessions focused on mental and emotional wellbeing. But when looking at the gender split for overall contacts to the service, young males are still hugely under-represented (where the young person’s gender was known, just 14% of sessions were with young males).
Childline carried out 31,899 counselling sessions with girls about mental health issues compared with 5,622 with boys in 20/21. Furthermore, 11,719 girls spoke to Childline about suicidal thoughts and feelings, but only 1,592 boys.
This jars with national data for registered deaths in England and Wales, which tragically shows 122 boys aged 10 to 19 died by suicide, compared to 52 girls.
Speaking out and seeking help from a service like Childline can save a young person’s life.
The activity also supports Childline’s ‘Reach Project,’ which aims to increase the number of young people that the service reaches out to, to ensure that Childline is accessible to and inclusive of all young people. The aim is to identify priority groups that Childline is not currently reaching, addresss the barriers to access and take-up of services and how we can better engage these groups. The campaign carries a similar message to our recent Reach Out campaign which aims to encourage young people in Liverpool of all ages that it’s ok to reach out if they’re struggling with their mental health – support is available.
How the campaign was developed:
Working with creative agency Livity, Childline is creating a story rooted in the self-soothing media behaviours of young males. This approach was borne through research carried out with young males demonstrating that when things get mentally tough, young males often go into themselves and online to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to watch content. So, using an assortment of clips from the world of sports, gaming and other interests, the campaign reflects the emotions young people struggle to articulate or share with others, and encourages them to seek support for any worries that they might have.
WHAT WE WANT YOUNG PEOPLE TO THINK, FEEL, DO
The campaign is designed to resonate with young people, particularly with young males, through the use of the visual world, content and language that they already consume online and therefore recognise.
We want young people to see the ‘We all feel it’ campaign and:
THINK:
I recognise and can relate to this Childline campaign.
FEEL:
Childline really understands the way I think and feel, especially when I’m having a tough time and things are getting a bit much. It’s good to get help with how I’m feeling.
DO:
I’ll speak to someone about the way I’m feeling, or I’ll contact Childline to get support with how I’m feeling
How can you help:
Please follow Childline and NSPCC social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and repost our ‘We all feel it’ campaign messages.