You Be You is a teen mental health campaign that was developed by Bernstein-Rein Advertising (www.b-r.com) in collaboration with the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition (www.itsok.us), Jewish Family Services (www.jfskc.org), and SPEAK UP, (www.speakup.us), a group formed by two families who suffered the devastating loss of losing children to suicide. 100% of the funding for the campaign is funded by SPEAK UP.
The campaign was created in response to the rising suicide rates among teens and seeks to spread a message of self-acceptance through various materials such as posters, installations, social media filters and more. The partners determined that more mental health resources need to be provided to teens in middle and high schools. Implementation of the campaign in schools is led by students, in consultation with the You Be You partners and the school administration. This video is an example of how one school, Blue Springs South High School, is utilizing the campaign to positively change school culture around acceptance and diversity.
For more information on You Be You or to find out how you can bring You Be You to your school, contact [email protected].