Digital MindSKILLZ Reaches 100,000 Adolescents with Mental Health Messaging in First Month

Grassroot Soccer is excited to announce the launch of our Digital MindSKILLZ game for young people in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia!

A significant gap exists in mental health services for young people in Africa, particularly those without access to in-person support. To close this gap, Grassroot Soccer worked with partner Viamo to develop the fun, phone-based Digital MindSKILLZ game, which uses interactive voice response (IVR) technology to guide participants through the basics of mental health, introduce coping skills like mindful breathing, and share soccer trivia.

A pilot study in Nigeria conducted before the rollout showed the game effectively enhanced participants’ understanding of mental health, and participants experienced an increase in mental well-being as measured by the WHO-5 Well-being Index. In just its first month, the game has already reached more than 100,000 adolescents!

Listen to a sample of Digital MindSKILLZ here.