Sparking New Conversations About Mental Health for Boys and Young Men

Mental Helse Ungdom is receiving two million Norwegian kroner from Kavli Trust to support its work promoting openness around mental health for boys and young men. The organisation is now looking for two young, creative content creators to play a central role in the initiative.

– We are incredibly happy that Kavli Trust recognises the value of this work. They have a particular commitment to children’s and young people’s mental health, which they clearly demonstrate by supporting this project, says Adrian Lorentsson, Communications Manager at Mental Helse Ungdom.

Mental health is now being discussed more openly in public than ever before.

– Yet it remains difficult to find safe, reliable, and age-appropriate information and communication about mental health for young people, says Lorentsson.

This is exactly what Mental Helse Ungdom will use the Kavli Trust funding to address.

– An Apology to Boys and Men

In today’s press release about the project, Mental Helse Ungdom sends a message directly to young boys and men:

– We’re sorry!

Two out of three people who take their own lives are boys and men. At the same time, 70 percent of those Mental Helse Ungdom reaches are girls, the organisation writes in its press release.

This is the context for the organisation’s goal to reach more people by creating new ways of talking about mental health.

– There is an unacceptable imbalance in who contacts us. We cannot accept that so many end up in psychiatric care, struggling with substance abuse, in prison, on the street, or dead from problems that could have been addressed long ago, says Lorentsson.

– This is our wholehearted apology to the boys. To all those who stay silent because the words don’t exist. To all those who don’t dare to open up. To all those who feel life is so hard that death seems like the only way out. It isn’t. We are starting the conversation. For the boys, and for everyone else who wants to be part of it, he continues.

Seeking Young Content Creators

In the new initiative, young people themselves will take the lead in developing and expanding the organisation’s preventative communication work, with a particular focus on fostering openness and making it easier to talk about mental health.

With funding from Kavli Trust, Mental Helse Ungdom will hire two young content creators. Their task will be to produce social media content designed to make it easier for boys to talk about how they feel.

Young People in the Lead

The content creators will make videos for TikTok and other platforms to explore how society can better support mental health.

– We are looking for someone brave enough to ask the difficult questions, bold enough to sometimes go against what society believes to be true, and curious about other people. Someone confident enough to be humble in encounters with all kinds of people, without judging, says Lorentsson.

A reference group of young people from the target audience, as well as professionals, will also be established. The group will advise the content creators and contribute knowledge.

This is how Mental Helse Ungdom plans to reach more young people who are struggling, helping them develop the language and concepts needed to talk about their mental health – even in the toughest moments.

The overarching goals are to promote good mental health in young people’s daily lives, reduce mental ill-health, and thus prevent suicide and severe mental health challenges.

Proven Experience

Mental Helse Ungdom has extensive experience showing that communication projects such as the YouTube series Føler’n, the Twitch stream Gameprat, the film Start praten, and the podcast Ta vare can foster openness and meaningful conversations about mental health among young people.

These initiatives are also particularly aimed at young men and boys, where credible role models speak about mental health in an accessible and relatable way for the target audience.

– We Need to Change How We Talk

Adrian Lorentsson emphasises the need to change how we communicate with boys and men.

– We need to change the way society talks about mental health, he stresses.

– And we need to do it now.

Open to Discussing Andrew Tate

This includes looking at topics such as Andrew Tate, who has been imprisoned in Romania and is under investigation for human trafficking.

– There are obvious reasons to be critical of Andrew Tate, but much of what he says resonates with many young boys and men. That is why we also want to explore the subjects Tate and others discuss, to see if there are points worth examining, says Lorentsson.

– Pleased with the Collaboration

The funding is part of Kavli Trust’s prioritisation of projects aimed at strengthening mental health among children and young people.

– We are very pleased to enter this collaboration with Mental Helse Ungdom. With their knowledge, experience, and insight into the young target groups, they can develop effective and relevant communication about mental health on the media platforms young people use daily, giving voice to people who can lighten the burden for many dealing with heavy thoughts and feelings, says Guro Hjetland Sundsby, responsible for grants at Kavli Trust.

She emphasises the importance of youth participation in content creation.

– Mental Helse Ungdom runs broad and accessible, but also innovative, work to increase openness about mental health and prevent mental health issues among young people. They are an exciting and relevant partner for Kavli Trust, and we look forward to following their work in the future, she says.

– CV Doesn’t Matter

Interested in applying as a content creator but worried your CV isn’t strong enough? Don’t worry!

– We don’t care about the CV, says Adrian Lorentsson, plain and simple.

The same applies to education and gaps in your CV. What really counts are personal qualities.

– Communication skills, humility, and the courage to do things that feel scary are what matter, says Lorentsson.

– At least one of the two positions should be filled by a man, but we hope applicants of other genders will also apply. Having balance is both valuable and important.

Applications via TikTok

Applications should be submitted as a video, either on TikTok or directly to Mental Helse Ungdom.

– Applicants are encouraged to post their video on TikTok and tag Mental Helse Ungdom, but it can also be uploaded and sent directly. To keep track of the application process, a short submission via Finn.no is also required, says Lorentsson.

– It doesn’t need to be more than a link to the video, but then we also get contact details, which makes things easier for us, he adds.

Facts – Mental Helse Ungdom

• A membership-based interest organisation that runs services such as help chat, safe and open local meeting places, outdoor activities, and tailored work training.
• Through volunteer-led local chapters, Mental Helse Ungdom facilitates activities, networks, and social-political work that benefits children and young people with, or who have had, mental health challenges, as well as their families.
• Their overarching goals are to prevent mental health problems and suicide, increase openness around mental health, and contribute to better mental health support in Norway.