The main issue is getting people who don’t have a mental illness to understand what a person living with a mental illness and depression goes through on a day-to-day basis.
With this in mind 34° have been hard at work to open up the conversation in order to get people to understand what it’s like to suffer and thus ‘live in a world of grey’. #EverydayColours is a project that was recently launched by 34° in conjunction with SADAG.
It is well known that adult colouring books have become a massive trend, with adults using them to de-stress. 34° utilised this trend and created direct mailers, in the form of actual adult colouring books and colouring pencils. These were sent to relevant influencers (strategically selected people who have spoken out about their own suffering) and medical professionals in the relevant fields.
These books and pencils have one fundamental difference - you simply just can’t add colour. 34° effectively brought this idea to life by including pencils that appear to be normal colouring pencils; yet only colour in grey. The power in the idea and expression of ‘greyness’ is that it represents how people feel who are suffering on a day-to-day basis.
Published in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Swahili, 34° in conjunction with SADAG, will continue to deliver these direct mailers across South Africa and Kenya. Awareness will be raised and funding is being driven through the inclusion of SADAG’s banking details on the direct mailers themselves - people can actually take action and donate.
“#EverydayColours is a simple way to try address a complicated problem. It takes something that everyone understands - colour, and uses it to represent a condition that not everyone understands. It is an important tool in addressing the stigma around mental illness and depression, and opens up a conversation that inspires change,” comments Andy Sutcliffe, CEO at 34°.
Join 34° and SADAG to help them raise awareness and funding for this important cause: #EverydayColours.
www.sadag.org
