SHOWTIME/MTV Partner With Active Minds and YouTube To Launch Digital Experience Designed To Teach Young People A.S.K. – New ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ for Emotional Support – and Partners With Harvard’s Center for Health Communication

In Lead Up to Mental Health Action Day, SHOWTIME/MTV Partners with Leading Youth Mental Health Organizations and Digital Platforms to Meet Young People Where They Are: Online

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 14, 2024 / SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios, in partnership with leading youth and young adult mental health nonprofit Active Minds, today launched a YouTube-based choose-your-own-adventure-style interactive video designed to teach young people the new "stop, drop and roll" for emotional support: A.S.K., which stands for Acknowledge, Support and Keep-in-Touch. The program aims to close the gap of nearly 70 percent of young people who say they don't feel prepared to support a friend through an emotional struggle by meeting young people where they are, including in the digital world. To explore the A.S.K. digital experience, visit http://asktohelp.com.

"The research shows that most young people live online - and while they want to help each other, they do not know how to help a friend who is struggling," said Erika Soto Lamb, Vice President of Social Impact at SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios. "With the average American teenager spending more than seven hours a day looking at a screen, we wanted to meet young people where they are. The A.S.K. digital experience launching ahead of the 4th annual Mental Health Action Day on May 16th is designed to help young people learn and practice A.S.K., the new ‘stop, drop and roll' for how to help a friend."

"Youth and young adults are changing how they talk about and handle mental health in this country, and providing them with A.S.K is a simple and easy to execute three-step plan to support someone in need." said Active Minds Founder and Executive Director Alison Malmon. "Through our work and partnerships at more than 1,000 schools and campuses across the nation, we witness the impact that comes out of youth and young adults mobilizing to become champions for mental health advocacy. With the rollout of the A.S.K. interactive YouTube program and digital experience, we are excited to inform and engage youth and young adults to lead change."

This digital experience is part of the next phase of SHOWTIME/MTV's Mental Health is Health Initiative, designed to support young people as they navigate, share, and support each other's mental health. In this interactive choose-your-own adventure style YouTube video, users put themselves in the shoes of Charlie, a young person navigating how to support a friend. Charlie has just run into Luna at the local coffee shop and needs help guiding the conversation. As the user helps Charlie decide what to say, they will practice using A.S.K., the new "stop, drop and roll" of supporting a friend. By creating a new simple, yet effective and memorable way for anyone to help friends, colleagues, classmates, teammates, family members, SHOWTIME/MTV and Active Minds aim to teach people how to support each other through life's emotional challenges.