Today we’ve got an incredible opportunity to show the silky skills of the OMBLES and make some noise…literally… with Campaign Against Living Miserably. Since our last collab in 2018, our community has trebled in size and CALM have done lots of amazing work, with much of it being done around the world of football/soccer. To make as much impact as possible, we’ve also teamed up with Media City production agency, Kalua, who will be turning today’s winning idea into a fully-produced 30-second radio/audio advert!!
Today’s campaign is happening after we heard of the tragic story of Kyle Sekhon, who took his own life shortly after travelling to London to watch a football game recently.
The 23-year-old from the Forest of Dean was a passionate Chelsea FC supporter, and a Twitter campaign to give a minute's applause to honour him in the 23rd minute during their recent game against Wolves at Stamford Bridge drew widespread support. This was led by his uncle Kalveer, who shared these important words…
“It is important to bring the conversations around mental health to football stadiums, which are often a masculine space where emotions might not be so easily discussed.”
Katie Poole, an OMBassador, sadly witnessed the incident as it happened, and got in touch with us to see if we can help Kalveer to get that message out there as far and wide as possible ahead of the end of the Premier League season this Sunday. We will announce the brief winner at the kick-off time of 4pm.
“Mental health is a cause I have been passionate about for a very long time. It is my wish that no one should ever have to struggle alone, and that everyone should be aware of the help available to them if they find themselves in a dark place. Every single suicide, is one too many.
The idea for this brief was prompted by a very tragic event that I witnessed recently, which spurred me to try to start actioning my passion for this cause, alongside the OMBLEs. After the incident, I came across an article, discussing who the man in question was. The article provided words from his loved ones, predominantly about his kind character, but a comment from his uncle about the society-wide issue of mental health, and his wish to get conversations around mental health started in the football realm, stood out to me as something the OMB community could make a dent in, creating noise on Twitter and beyond.
Football grounds, or pubs showing football games, are places filled with people, who come together to watch the sport they love. This can present opportunity for relief, downtime, quality catch-ups with mates: that can be good for one’s mental health. It’s a chance for friends to look out for those they’re with, voice their support and look out for any displays of concerning behaviour, as well as for the person suffering to seek support from their close circle.”
Our One Minute Briefs Founder, Nick has shared some words below about his own past struggles. He has also written previously about these following his heart attack a few years ago and dealing with the constant pressures of running such a relentless community whilst at times enduring chronic pain.
“We are very proud to have put this brief together with CALM in a very short space of time to make it happen in the final week of the football season. I’m a huge advocate of the work that CALM do having experienced difficulties of my own, some of which, which have been shared in the links above. These can make it very easy to give up, but it’s important we get the message out that there is support out there to help you keep going and stay positive.
Football has always been a huge passion of mine, both playing and watching, and I’ve been to a lot more games recently as a big City fan. Although it’s a great distraction from the stresses of life, and can offer some solace when you need it, mates don’t often use the opportunity to talk about things they may be going through. So I hope all of the OMBLES will show their brilliance today with a wave of positivity across our feed and beyond to start the conversation.”
One Minute Brief of the Day:
Create posters featuring headlines and scripts to bring positive conversations around mental health to the world of football, in stadiums and beyond.
Tweet your entries to @OneMinuteBriefs, @theCALMzone & @ThisIsKalua with the hashtag #UnitedAgainstSuicide
Prizes:
Today’s winner receives £100 cash, a CALM goodie bag & fully-produced 30 second radio/audio advert.
Today, sound is important, so bear in mind what we will be hearing from voiceover, to SFX, to music. We’ll make sure it’s pitch-perfect. We don’t want doom and gloom. We want the ideas to be overwhelmingly positive and reflect the team spirit and togetherness that football brings.
Things to inspire you.
Conversations people have about football
Mateship, banter and the role mates play in football and mental well being
Tactics/Formations
Post-Match Interviews
Historic Footballing Moments
Transfer Gossip
Fantasy Football
New Kits
Summer Signings
Football Chants
Team/Player Names
SFX-Whistles, Kicks, Crowd Noise,
The winning entrant will work directly with Creative Director & OMB Founder, Nick Entwistle, to refine your idea into a full script and then work with Kalua and the CALM team to produce it.
Last time we did a script-based OMB, we beat Justin Bieber to Christmas Number 1, so who knows how big this could go. What’s the best that could happen?
The CALM Approach:
Make the conversation of suicide prevention inescapable
Create a sense of belonging
Normalise feeling shit
Promote the right solutions
Celebrate life and living
About CALM
OVER TWO DECADES OF BEING THERE, NO MATTER WHAT
125 people a week die by suicide, CALM exists to change that. CALM’s been shouting about suicide prevention since 1997, when our life-saving helpline launched. Originally set up as an NHS pilot, the helpline started out in Merseyside, CALM’s became a national charity in 2006, meaning we could support people who needed us across the country.
We’ve come a long way since then, with momentous campaigns and calls for change, here’s just some of the stuff we’ve got up to. https://www.thecalmzone.net/our-story
Take a look at our latest film here:
WE STAND TOGETHER WITH THOSE STRUGGLING
Anyone can feel suicidal. So we need to be there for everyone. From advice on our website about issues you might be facing; through to free, confidential chats with our helpline staff, online or on the phone, we’re here for anyone who’s struggling, every single day of the year. No matter what.
Our helpline and webchat are open 365 days a year, offering practical suggestions for all of life’s problems - whether that’s anxiety, relationship concerns, health worries, money worries or suicidal thoughts. Our staff answer a call every 66 seconds - they listen, talk and help people struggling with life to make a plan so they can begin to look to the future.
WE STAND AGAINST SUICIDE
One suicide directly affects 135 people - leaving a lasting impact on family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and acquaintances.
We share stories in the hope that it might change someone’s mind. Covering the think twice moments, the turning points and sometimes, sadly, the memories of mates and loved ones lost to suicide.
Every story helps us highlight why we continue to Campaign Against Living Miserably. Whether you’ve been bereaved by suicide, or you’ve found yourself in a difficult space, we’re here to support.
WE STAND UP TO STEREOTYPES AND CHANGE THE CONVERSATION THROUGH OUR CAMPAIGNS
Through our campaigns we challenge stereotypes and challenge the stigma that prevents people talking about suicide. And we use music, sport, art and anything in between to get our message across and to help people find the strength to seek help.
From Project 84 to The Invisible Opponent, our campaigns create real impact, get people talking and, crucially, change the conversation. Working with some of the biggest organisations in the UK we’ve achieved amazing things, including the appointment of the world’s first ever minister for suicide prevention. And we have even bigger plans for the future.
WE STAND UNITED WITH COMMUNITIES
We’re uniting the UK against suicide. We spread our message by being in universities, pubs, clubs, football stadiums, and prisons across the country – so that people feel empowered to share their experiences and get the help they need before they reach the point of crisis.
We’re CALM and we stand together, united against suicide, with everyone in the UK.
Stand with us, join the campaign and together we can save more lives.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/theCALMzone
https://www.instagram.com/calmzone/
https://twitter.com/theCALMzone
Our headline font can be installed for free on Adobe Fonts here.
Resources/Assets/Guidelines can be found here: https://www.thecalmzone.net/download-resources
