Canadian youth mental health charity wins big at international Anthem awards

Jack.org earns six awards for its programs, storytelling and awareness initiatives in multiple categories

TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2022 /CNW/ - Jack.org, a national youth mental health charity that trains and empowers young leaders to educate their peers and advocate for better mental health care, has won six awards at the Anthem Awards.

Amongst Jack.org's winning entries were the three-day, virtual Jack Summit attended by 150 young people from across Canada, a new mental health documentary series, and a digital campaign featuring some of Canada's most recognizable TikTokers showing youth how to support one another. The charity won three gold and three silver awards in numerous categories, including Health, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Education, Art & Culture.

"These awards truly belong to the thousands of changemakers who stand behind our cause and know when, where and how to be there for one another when it matters," said Jack.org Founder & Executive Director Eric Windeler. "We're so proud of the young people featured in our series for their courage, their wisdom and the hope they spread among their peers. We're also proud of our colleagues, who bring their whole selves to work and live up to the principles of our organization in ways that foster a level of innovation that hasn't ceased to amaze me since we started Jack.org," he added.

Jack.org's winning programs and initiatives were selected from almost 2,500 entries submitted to the Anthem Awards from 36 countries.

Be There
The winning "Level Up" campaign for Jack.org's Be There resource featured videos from influencers Leenda Dong, Jack Innanen and Ben Kielesinski.

• Gold for Best Influencer Endorsement, Awareness Categories (Not-For-Profit)

Jack Originals | Untold: Mental Health Documentary Series
The series featured Ezechiel Nana, Chelsea Cuffaro, Jay Legaspi and the family of Corey MacGregor telling their mental health stories in their own words.

• Gold for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Special Projects, Awareness Categories (Not-For-Profit)
• Silver for Education, Art & Culture, Special Projects, Awareness Categories (Not-For-Profit)

Jack Ride 2021
The Jack Ride 2021 community of over 1,500 riders in 191 cities, seven Canadian provinces and four countries raised over $2 million for Jack.org's youth mental health programs.

• Gold for Health, Event, Fundraising Categories (Not-For-Profit)
• Silver for Health, Community Outreach, Community Engagement Categories (Not-For-Profit)

Undivided: National Jack Summit 2021
From March 17 to 21, 2021, Undivided was attended by 150 young people, featured appearances from Selena Gomez, The Honorable Patty Hajdu and gun control advocate David Hogg.

• Silver for Health, Community Space, Community Engagement Categories (Not-For-Profit)

"Our youth network and their supporters want to see the barriers to mental health dismantled. From persistent stigma around mental health struggles, to lack of access to appropriate services where needed, to the aftermath of the pandemic, there's a massive amount of work to be done," said Dr. Shane Green, Vice-President, Programs at Jack.org. "But there's just as much hope, energy, and commitment to get the job done. These awards are testaments to what can be achieved when creativity and action are brought together to elevate youth voices and ensure that decisions taken for young people are taken with them."

Winners of the Anthem Awards will be celebrated at the first Anthem Voices virtual conference followed by a star-studded virtual awards ceremony on Monday, February 28, 2022. The show will be streamed via the Anthem Awards website. The Anthem Awards celebrates purpose and mission-driven work from people, companies and organizations worldwide.

About Jack.org
Jack.org is the only Canadian charity training and empowering a network of young leaders who lead mental health conversations among their peers thanks to innovative programs they help design. Through Jack Talks, Jack Chapters, Jack Summits, Jack Originals, and Be There, young leaders identify and dismantle barriers to positive mental health in their communities. Jack.org is working towards a Canada where all young people understand how to take care of their own mental health and look out for each other. A Canada without shame, where all those who need support get the help they deserve. With thousands of young leaders across every province and territory, the movement is only just getting started. To learn more, please visit Jack.org and BeThere.org.

Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | LinkedIn: @jackdotorg 

Interviews with Jack.org leadership available on request

SOURCE Jack.org

Media Contact: Nimanthie Ariyasinghe, [email protected]