DoSomething's Camp Reboot
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
According to our 2022 mental health survey, we found that 83% of our members felt they lacked the tools needed to take care of their mental health when feeling overwhelmed. We knew that young people were looking to tackle their mental health problems, but just didn't know where to start.
Thanks to support from Blue Shield of CA, we invited them to Camp Reboot, a year-long virtual mental health program to help young people discover new skills to improve their self-care routines while developing new ways to care for the mental health of their peers and their community.
Camp Reboot launched in Summer 2023 and featured three distinct peer-to-peer activities each drawing from different modalities:
MIND CRAFT – The first session at Camp Reboot invited young people to show how they use their craft including art, dance, and music as a creative outlet to relieve stress and anxiety.
CERTIFIED BESTIE – In the second session of Camp Reboot, we equipped young people to be mental health upstanders or first responders for themselves and their peers through a partnership with Wellness Education Lab. By completing an evidence-based training, young people became certified with skills to support their friends with a mental health problem or crisis until professional help is available.
E.M.B.E.R. COLLECTIVE – For the final session, we brought 19 young people together who were leading initiatives to address mental health issues in their community into a community of practice. As part of the collective, they received microgrants to help scale their impact as well as mentorship from subject matter experts and the opportunity to learn from their peers in a safe environment.
KEY ACTIVATION MOMENTS
Mind Craft Creator Series: Social influencers took part in Mind Craft by demonstrating how their craft of choice supports their mental health journey and sharing an original piece of art. The video series reached over 70,000 people, inspiring members with creative ways to join in.
Zen Globes: To foster community, we brought Mind Crafters together for Zen Globes, a virtual art therapy event hosted by artist, art therapist, and content creator Pierra D. Brown. Brown led them through a guided session to create art aimed at helping them beat the winter blues and stress of holiday time.
E.M.B.E.R. Showcase: The 19 E.M.B.E.R. members completed their 6-month journey to develop leadership and technical skills, grow their network, and improve the mental well-being of their community. During a culminating EMBER Collective Project Showcase, members presented their mental health project, how DoSomething helped them transform it, and what they plan to incorporate into their communities with the awarded grants. The diverse mix of projects ranged from a children’s book about eco-anxiety to affordable therapy for families in need.
OUR IMPACT
We engaged over 100,000 members and 30,000 joined Mind Craft and Certified Bestie to take action to own their mental wellbeing. We collected over 2,000 Mind Craft creations, members completed over 3,000 hours of mental health training through Certified Bestie, provided by a pro bono partnership with our partners at the Wellness Education Lab, and over 7,000 certificates were distributed to those who participated.
We invested in young people through creative solutions to address the pressing threat of mental health crises young people face in their communities. From helping young people deal with eco-anxiety, to bringing families together to find professional solutions to address stressful situations, each E.M.B.E.R. collective member had a problem to solve, and through the program, became more prepared and confident to do so.
Ninety-six percent of our members reported that they will use what they learned to address mental health challenges they or their peers may experience. Ninety-seven percent of our members reported that they increased their awareness of different mental health challenges and 99% reported they feel equipped to explain the concepts they learned to family and friends.
WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING
“This training really taught me how to manage my anxiety and understand where anxiety comes from. I think all students my age should take this course, as it has helped during a stressful time! Thank you :)”
“I plan to use the skills I learned in this training to identify anxiety and depression symptoms in my own life as well as that of my close friends. Additionally, when symptoms are present I am now equipped to help others and myself take the next step to bettering ourselves.”
“This work of art helped me with a mental health challenge[...] I am going to start my first year of college this September, and I have been worried about what the future may hold. [...] My piece illustrates a self-portrait studying over notes and gazing out a brightly lit window. By imagining myself hopeful and relaxed in a college setting, I felt more at ease about my future. This helped me reflect on how new things can be scary at first, but [...] I will get used to such uncertainties over time.”