Mentally Healthy, Never Not Creative and YoungBloods Australia have teamed up to help people in the creative, media and marketing industry ask the unaskable questions: questions that are kept inside for fear of how people may be treated if they were to ask them of a manager or leader.
The Asking For A Friend initiative sees the launch of a monthly webinar where mental health experts join experienced leaders from the industry to answer anonymously submitted questions.
“Our industry can be a tough place," says Andy Wright, founder of Never Not Creative and co-chair of Mentally Healthy.
"While we know how rewarding it can be, we’re also more than aware of how challenging it can be.
"When times are tough, like they are now, we hope we can turn to each other. But there are certain questions that we choose to keep to ourselves and suffer in silence, fearful of how we’ll be treated or the opportunities you might miss out on.
"We all know that `asking for a friend' is an easier way to ask a tough question. So, once a month we’re going to allow anyone anywhere to `ask for a friend' anonymously online and have those questions answered by an industry leader and a psychologist.”
Linh Diep, national chair of Youngbloods, says this couldn’t be a better time to collaborate and launch the initiative.
“The Asking For A Friend series is just what we all need right now," says Diep. "We have to stay connected but we may also be more cautious than usual when saying what’s really going on in our minds.
"Virtual connectivity throws out a lot of communication nuances. Being able to say what you really think without fear of judgement could come to some as a big relief.”
The first webinar, whose theme focuses on isolation and uncertainty, takes place this Thursday, April 2, at 12:30pm AEDT, featuring psychotherapist Katie Feder and Maria Devereux, executive creative director of Colenso BBDO New Zealand.
Katie Feder,pPsychotherapist and key account director at UnLtd says: “We’re living through unprecedented times of uncertainty.
"The feelings of anxiety rising from the uncertainty, the overwhelm of negative information combined with isolation is having a major impact on everyone’s mental health.
"We hope that the discussion this Thursday will help our industry get answers to some of those tough questions and also get comfort from knowing that they are not alone with their questions.”
The live webinars are limited to 100 participants but the webinar will be made available online within 24 hours for anyone to access. To find out more and book your place for the first seminar, click here.
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