Helping millions of teens and young adults lead happier lives
Inspire USA Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit established in San Francisco in 2007. Inspire’s mission is to help millions of teens and young adults lead happier lives. Inspire takes a strength-based, public health approach to its work with a focus on mental health promotion and the prevention of high risk behavior, with a particular interest in suicide prevention. Inspire USA Foundation is part of an international network which includes Australia, where Inspire began, and the Inspire Ireland Foundation.
In March 2010, Inspire will launch reachout.com, an online mental health information and support service designed to help 16-24 year olds in the US get through tough times. Reach Out integrates youth generated, expert-reviewed information and real life stories with opportunities to connect with others in a supportive, safe environment. It is based on a highly successful, Australian program that has been operating for 12 years and is recognized by 3 out of 4 young people in this target age group. Reach Out has contributed to a 57% reduction in youth suicide in Australia since its inception.
Technology provides unprecedented opportunities to reach out to young Americans who are experiencing a tough time. The pervasive use of the web and other technologies by young people, including those that are a part of our most under-served communities, means we can now communicate meaningfully with young people whom traditional services may never reach, on a scale never before possible and at relatively low cost. Through the combination of practical information that draws on evidence-based principles, savvy authentic social marketing and the smart innovative application of technology we have the potential to help millions of young people lead happier lives.
In the United States, reachout.com has been built with young Americans and adapted specifically for the culturally diverse US environment. What sets Reach Out apart from other youth focused websites is that all of the content on Reach Out has been created by youth for youth using the expertise of a culturally, economically, and geographically diverse group of 16-24 year old Contributing Editors. Supported by highly qualified experts, reachout.com will build a community of young people who can care for themselves and one another in a safe, supportive and practical way.
Inspire is committed to conducting ongoing research to assess the effects of Reach Out. Increased mental health literacy, increased help-seeking behavior, and stigma reduction are proximal outcomes of interest. Longer term, Inspire hopes that out efforts, integrated with those of others, will impact rates of suicide and other high risk behaviors and that we will contribute to an evolving evidence base about how technology can be used to promote healthy behavior. Inspire will also collect data about user demographics, market penetration, and youth perceptions of the Reach Out website.
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