headspace helps take a positive step towards Indigenous mental health in new campaign via Brisbane-based agency Carbon Creative

This week sees the launch of a new advertising campaign created by Brisbane-based social change agency, Carbon Creative, aimed at promoting mental health and reducing youth suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Developed for headspace, Australia’s national youth mental health foundation, the campaign was co-created with headspace and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people from around the country who had lived experience of mental ill-health.

With Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 24 and under three times more likely than other young people to die by suicide, the campaign titled ‘Take a Step’ encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to recognise the signs that something’s not right—and provides small, practical steps towards feeling better.

Says Birri Gubba man, Wayne Denning, managing director of Carbon Creative: “We knew this was important but very sensitive work. We spent a lot of time working with headspace, community elders and young people before any creative was developed to ensure we not only understood the challenge but could co-create something real and meaningful with them that would really resonate.”

Drawing on connections with spirit, ancestors, culture and Country, the ‘Take a Step’ campaign uses rocks as a metaphor to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s emotions, experiences or challenges that might weigh them down.

Says Denning: “Everyone featured in the campaign are not actors. While that can sometimes make things tricky, in this case it helped to lend the campaign a real sense of authenticity that we hope will help it connect with audiences so it can really make a difference.”

The campaign will run across television (including NITV), radio and social media, across AFL and NRL matches on FoxSports, regional radio and national Spotify audio channels, on social media as well as regional cinema and large scale billboards.

Indigenous Consultant: Wayne Denning
Group Account Director: Rebecca Blinco
Senior Account Manager: Sarah Fitzpatrick
Producer: Angela Hueppauff
Co-Creative Directors: Monique Kneepkens & Sandra Hind
Creative: Monique Kneepkens, Lieve Torbeyns, Thomas Rogers, Dean McGrath, Lizzy Anderson, Sandra Hind
Director: Tristan Houghton
Photographer: Tristan Houghton
Indigenous Art: Jasmine Craciun
Post-Production: 3P