How You Can Text, Talk and Act for Mental Health

Apr 22, 2014

Take out your cell phone. Open up your text messages. Congratulations, you now have what it takes to participate in a National Dialogue on Mental Health!

In December, Creating Community Solutions (CCS), an initiative designed to get people talking about mental health in their communities, hosted a digital dialogue through text messages called “Text, Talk Act.” The event was so successful, with over 2,400 individuals and many NAMI Affiliates participating that CCS decided to host another event. But this time, it’s going to be even bigger.

On April 24, CCS is partnering with the Born This Way Foundation to promote a national, digital, conversation about mental health with you and your friends and it’s as easy as sending a text message. It is sending a text message. The event is an hour long—it’s free and you can join at any time. The goal is to get young people talking to each other and talking about what can be done to improve mental health in our country.

Here is what you have to do:

1. At any time on April 24, gather three to four of your friends, family, classmates, students, etc.

2. Text "start" to 89800.

3. Receive polling and discussion questions via text messaging while having a face-to-face dialogue with your group.

By participating in this event, you will be lighting a necessary conversation that could spark another that would actually change and improve the way we think and talk about mental illness in this country.

You can have a real-time conversation with your peers across the country and work together to talk about difficult things and ways that you can bring resources and support to your own school or hometown. The dialogue will cover the issues that you think are important because you will be steering the conversation along with youth organizers from across the country.

TTA creates a safe space for candid conversations about what communities may be doing well and what you want to see changed. Participants from last year’s event said they felt like they could really trust their peers and were grateful for an opportunity to talk about an important issue that is rarely brought up in their homes or schools.

To make an even bigger splash, learn about what you can do after the event ends and share your thoughts on social media with the hashtag #TextTalkAct. What are you waiting for? Grab your phone and join the conversation. Be a part of the solution.