Hope Means Nevada (HMN), the community-based nonprofit focused on eliminating youth suicide across Nevada, has announced the third annual launch of its #Ask5 to Smash Stress social media campaign.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a leading provider of managed healthcare services in Nevada, is this year’s campaign sponsor and will jointly host the campaign between Sunday, April 2 and Saturday April 29, in recognition of National Stress Awareness Month. The campaign will be accessible on HMN’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites.
“Anthem has made a commitment to addressing Nevada’s most pressing healthcare priorities, and we are aware of our state’s challenges related to youth mental health, so we are stepping up to create and support innovative solutions that have the potential to make a positive, meaningful difference in health outcomes,” said Lisa Bogard, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Nevada Medicaid health plan. “We are pleased to align with Hope Means Nevada in this effort and expect the #Ask5 to Smash Stress campaign to have a tremendous impact on lives.”
#Ask5 to Smash Stress is a peer-to-peer social media campaign that focuses on encouraging teens to connect with their peers and raise awareness that could improve mental wellness and even save lives. Throughout the month, this campaign encourages teens to #Ask5 of their friends how they are doing and provide actionable techniques to foster mental health wellness.
The teens will be encouraged to log onto social media daily to learn about stress-relieving strategies, including how to achieve balance between life and school, mindful eating and healthy body image, fostering healthy relationships, finding a therapist who is the right fit and more.
Mental wellness tips and meaningful discussions will be shared on the social media platforms via daily live presentations and short videos.
Each week, the #Ask5 to Smash Stress campaign will focus on a different theme and topic to raise awareness about how to effectively alleviate stress:
- Week 1, April 2 – 8: School/Life Balance
- Week 2, April 9 – 15: Normalize Normal Bodies
- Week 3, April 16 – 22: Relationships
- Week 4, April 23 – 29: Therapy is Cool
The campaign will also feature different challenges to encourage teens to engage with the campaign and share information with their peers. Challenges will include:
- Asking five friends to join in watching #Ask5 to Smash Stress daily live-streams and videos.
- Sharing #Ask5 to Smash Stress topics and tips with family and/or friends.
“We’re grateful to Anthem for its continued support of our annual campaign to combat stress among youth,” said Ciera Bellavance, executive director, Hope Means Nevada. “The topics and tools we will be illuminating throughout the month are critically important and could even save lives.”
To learn more, you can visit here: Hope Means Nevada - You Are Not Alone
(Hope Means Nevada)
