Snapchat Has Launched a Mental Health Awareness and Support Initiative Called "Club Unity"

As part of World Mental Health Awareness Day, Snapchat has launched a new mental health support effort dubbed "Club Unity," in which the app will collaborate with some celebrities on a new project aimed at raising awareness of critical mental health concerns.

As seen in the trailer, the new project will bring together a diverse group of personalities from all backgrounds who will open up about their mental health struggles and inspire Snap users to take similar actions. The project's priority will be to address the need for more help for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth's mental health and well-being.

They've started a multi-year relationship with Active Minds, a mental health organization for students and young people with a network of more than 800 campus chapters at colleges, universities, and high schools around the country, as part of Club Unity's first year. The Snapchat relationship will help expand Active Minds chapters in community colleges, historically black colleges and universities, and high schools, to reach a larger number of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students.

Snap will also conduct its first-ever Club Unity Summit, where attendees will have the opportunity to get formally certified by Active Minds in "Validate, Appreciate, Refer," allowing them to aid friends through difficult times. Starting today, you can access a new set of resources in Here For You, our in-app mental health resource hub, that include active listening strategies and daily affirmations to help you start difficult conversations with friends. These resources are pushed to Snapchatters when they search for popular mental health terms on the app, such as anxiety, depression, and stress, and are designed to be readily shared with close friends and family to help support one another through the highs and lows of life.

It's an important undertaking, as several study reports have highlighted the negative effects of social media use on adolescent mental health, which have been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. People's access to friends and other support services has been curtailed as a result of the prolonged lockdowns and restrictions, making it difficult for them to keep perspective. When you consider that Snapchat reaches over 90% of 13-24 year-olds in the United States, the importance of this endeavor on Snapchat, in particular, becomes evident.

Users can access mental health support tools through Snap's Here for You hub, which will be updated regularly.