Playing for Life — and in the Media

Media plays a crucial role in shaping the public’s perception and understanding of topical issues – including mental health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), media outlets such as radio and television can provide people with important information to improve their health, and social media and digital platforms can help expand public coverage of an issue and raise awareness. 

In Zimbabwe, Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is using the power of media to reach communities and promote positive change in adolescent mental health. 

GRS has partnered with the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care, World Health Organization (WHO) Zimbabwe, and local organization Pamumvuri to pilot GRS’s groundbreaking adolescent mental health promotion and prevention program, MindSKILLZ, which aims to equip young people with the tools they need to manage their mental health and well-being.

MindSKILLZ is currently being implemented in Bulawayo and Harare, but to bring the program’s key lessons to even more young people across the country, last week GRS launched a social and behavior change communication initiative to leverage the reach and influence of radio, podcasts, and social media toward normalizing discussions around mental health in Zimbabwe.

By partnering with Radio Zimbabwe, Skyz Metro FM, and Khulumani FM; production companies; and popular Zimbabwean social media influencers, GRS is amplifying critical conversations about mental health and creating an enabling environment for young people to openly address their challenges. The campaign is also promoting parent-to-child communication and ensuring that young people receive all the support they need regarding their mental health and well-being.

MindSKILLZ’s primary target is 10-19-year-old adolescents, but all young people and parents/carers alike can benefit from the media initiative, which includes 12-episode radio dramas, podcasts, and social media influencer skits. Together, these platforms offer unparalleled reach, influence, and engagement in Zimbabwe, particularly among young people. 

Radio remains one of the most widely consumed media platforms in the country, with a significant proportion of the population tuning in regularly for education, information, and entertainment. By partnering with some of the most popular radio stations in the country, GRS is bringing the lessons of MindSKILLZ to a national audience, including those in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Broadcasting during drive time, which is the peak time on radio when the highest number of listeners tune in, radio dramas with mental health messaging will air in both Ndebele and Shona, the two dominant languages in the country. 

At the same time, GRS is launching podcasts led by MindSKILLZ Coaches in Zimbabwe, which will offer an opportunity for more in-depth conversations around mental health to reach a younger audience increasingly turning to digital platforms for information and entertainment. On the podcast, Coaches – near-peer mentors who facilitate GRS programs and serve as community role models whom young people can look up to and open up to when faced with health challenges – will share their personal stories about overcoming mental health challenges using lessons derived from MindSKILLZ. Check out the first episode here!

And lastly, with their platforms and popularity among young people, social media influencers can play a crucial role in normalizing discussions around mental health. By partnering with popular influencers in Zimbabwe to create accessible, bite-sized, and youth-friendly social media content, GRS is amplifying  key messages from MindSKILLZ to reach a wider audience and break the stigma associated with mental health – which is especially prevalent in Africa, where discussions around mental health are often taboo.

Media has the power to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to manage their mental well-being, build resilience, and develop the confidence to challenge harmful gender norms and stereotypes that prevent important and honest discussions about mental health from taking place. 

Every young person deserves to live a healthy, safe, and fulfilling life free from depression, stress, violence, and discrimination. In Zimbabwe, GRS is leveraging the power of media to create change that will have a lasting impact on generations to come.