On a very special day, the birthday of the festival, June 29, EXIT Foundation and UNICEF are initiating a long-term, comprehensive partnership to raise awareness about the importance of caring for young people’s mental health.
With the support of the marketing agency McCann Belgrade, EXIT and UNICEF aim to highlight the immense significance of in-person contact for mental health, particularly among young people in this digital age. The first phase of the campaign, titled “Life Is Live,” focuses on digital addiction and urgently draws attention to its alarming scale. The current estimate of the average time spent in front of mobile, computer, and TV screens amounts to an astounding 20 years of one’s life!
“As terrifying as the realization of widespread digital addiction might seem, it simultaneously offers a chance for insight and awareness. At our events, we commonly see phones held high, but we also witness socialization, new encounters, hugs, authenticity, closeness, touch, and live contact. That’s why we believe finding a balance is not only possible but necessary. However, to get there, we must all become aware of our situation,“ EXIT foundation declares.
“We’ve partnered with EXIT Foundation to use one of the world’s largest festivals as a platform to draw attention and send messages to young people about the importance of connecting, nurturing positive relationships, and taking care of mental health. Good mental health and psychosocial well-being are essential for all of us to thrive and live a fulfilling life,” emphasizes Deyana Kostadinova, UNICEF Representative in Serbia.
“A true story lasts a lifetime” is the slogan for the campaign’s first phase. Its goal is to highlight all those irreplaceable moments we spend with our loved ones and by ourselves, which make life authentic, and can only be truly experienced in person.
The campaign also directs to the UNICEF and OPENS platform svejeok.rs, which contains helpful information about young people’s problems and proven ways to solve them. The “Everything is OK” platform offers young people educational and interactive texts, and if they feel the need, they can anonymously and freely talk to professionals via chat, phone, or arrange online counseling within the SUPPORT section.
*Please note that this support service is currently available only in Serbian; however, as the campaign evolves, we will look for ways to expand support in various languages.
The website lifeislive.org will be available throughout this multi-year campaign to all those willing to learn, offer help, or seek assistance. After all, a true story lasts a lifetime.
