We rely on first responders every day to help us get through the toughest of times. First responders are first on the scene we often forget they experience mental health challenges too.
This year AdMental has asked two emerging creatives to create ads that help us better understand the mental health impacts experienced by first responders. The aim is to normalise conversations about mental health, let first responders know that it is ok to talk about mental health with colleagues and employers and, importantly, for employers to respond to mental health challenges in the same way as they do physical injuries of their employees.
"First responders have a high burn out and suicide rate," says Geoff Harris, Executive Director of the Mental Health Coalition of SA. "We as a community rely on them to protect us but who is looking out for them?
"Burn out is common among full time staff caused by the relentless nature of their work. Ambos and Police can go without meal breaks, do overtime and have no downtime between jobs. While resilience and training in trauma responses are important over time it can wear them down. Then, even the 'jobs' that seem the most unassuming will stay with a first responder well after they have left their shift."
"AdMental is an important part of the AADC calendar every year, it's a chance for us to support our emerging creatives and partner them with agencies and established creatives, it also raises awareness about the key role marketing and advertising can play in public health campaigns" says Joe Godsell, Co-President of Adelaide Advertising and Design Club.
"We would like to thank Fuller and KWPX for mentoring our emerging creatives this year."
AdMental is in its fifth year and is an event that asks emerging Advertising Creatives to create an ad to "sell" mental health and wellbeing.
AdMental is an annual event produced through a partnership between the Adelaide Advertising and Design Club (AADC), the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia and the Don Dunstan Foundation and a team of passionate volunteers. Each year this team works on a brief that targets a specific demographic. Previous years have covered mental wellbeing, supporting mental health in the workplace, loneliness in our older population and youth mental health.
AdMental 2022 is sponsored by Wellbeing SA, the Police Association of South Australia, ReturntoWorkSA, and the People's Choice Credit Union.
AdMental is a free event and will be held at Bonython Hall on Thursday, October 20 at 6.30pm hosted by comedian Nurse Georgie Carroll.
