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Samaritans Launch Teen Suicide Awareness Campaign“All we do is listen. Teen to teen.” is key messageBOSTON, January 25, 2005 . . . The Samaritans this week releases the newest components of its teen awareness campaign: a :60 PSA radio spot on local stations, and the debut of its print campaign on bus transit stations throughout Boston. The campaign is designed to emphasize that there is help available for teens who might be feeling depressed, isolated or overwhelmed, and that you don’t have to be suicidal to call. Created pro bono by local ad agency Hill, Holliday, both the print and radio campaigns highlight the Samariteen program in which trained teen volunteers staff a helpline for other teens who need to talk. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Massachusetts young people aged 15 to 24. The Samaritans is the only organization in the Boston area providing services devoted to listening to people in despair and preventing suicide. With generous assistance in production and placement from Outdoor Vision the eye-catching print awareness campaign is visible in advertising venues frequented by teens: malls, high school teen source boards, and now bus transit shelters. With assistance from ClearChannel, the complementary radio spot will also be heard by teens throughout the greater Boston area. The message of the campaigns: “There are a million reasons to feel alone. Call us if you want to talk about any of them. Teen to teen. All we do is listen,” sends an important message to teens who are bombarded with information and overwhelmed by pressures. Program Services Director Kim Kates says, “Teens need to know that there is an anonymous and confidential place that they can go to talk about their problems. In a world in which there is so much talking and so little listening, what we offer to teens is unique: the chance to be heard and understood by other teens.” “The generosity of Hill, Holliday; Outdoor Vision; and ClearChannel in making this campaign happen has been phenomenal,” says The Samaritans’ executive director, Roberta Hurtig. “As an agency with a $600,000 annual operating budget, and whose services are primarily delivered by specially selected and trained volunteers, we are staggered by the generosity of donations whose value will exceed our total operating budget. We could never afford the support these companies have provided to us, and yet our success in accomplishing our mission depends on this kind of visibility.” Creative credits for the spots belong to: About Hill, Holliday |
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Contact InformationBeth Schultz
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