It’s not uncommon for media of any type to talk about real life problems and situations. From economic equality, to abuse, addiction and more, it’s all good subject matter that people know exist, and thus it becomes believable. But for some, the desire to help those who actually have some of these conditions is enough to make them do extraordinary things.
Two groups, Proect UROK and the Harry Potter Alliance, are combining their efforts to help those with mental illness, headed up by Jack Quaid of Hunger Games fame, who you can see in the video below. They simply want to help people by creating fun videos to help those get through their tough times with mental illness, and show they are not alone. You can check out more about both groups below.
“Actor Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games, Vinyl) invites viewers to join Project UROK and The Harry Potter Alliance in fighting the stigma around mental illness and economic inequality by using the #MyHungerGames hashtag to tell their stories on social media. Users can also submit video testimonials via Project UROK’s website or by e-mailing [email protected].
#MyHungerGames was born out of 2014’s social media conversations around the Mockingjay movie release and the real-life impact of economic inequality. The #MyHungerGames blog will serve as a place to learn about how economic inequality impacts real people in areas like mental health, criminal justice, the environment, and more. It will also serve as a call to action, offering opportunities to visitors to help decrease the stigma and increase access to mental health services in their communities.
Throughout The Hunger Games series, many characters deal with mental illness. Katniss’ mother lives with depression, Haymitch struggles with addiction, Peeta becomes dissociated from reality, and Katniss struggles with PTSD following her time in the arena. Yet throughout the series, there seem to be no mental health resources available. In Panem’s poorest districts, people who need quality mental health services are forced to go without. Sadly, this injustice isn’t limited to dystopian fiction. In the real world, many people go without mental health services because of economic inequality.
Project UROK is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create funny, meaningful videos for teenagers struggling with mental health issues, made by people who have been there before. Founded by Jenny Jaffe (CollegeHumor), the site officially launched in April of 2015 and features a variety of honest, funny and relatable videos from young adults recounting their struggles with mental health. Project UROK ultimately strives to be an interactive, all-encompassing source of teen mental health resources, encouraging users to upload their own videos and share their experiences on the site’s message boards.
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The Harry Potter Alliance is Dumbledore’s Army for the real world. Founded in 2005, they are a 501c3 nonprofit that uses the power of story and popular culture to inspire fans to be like the heroes they read about.
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