by Maria Luisa Contursi
The mindyourmind team is comprised of a diverse group of clinical staff, some of which have 20-plus years expertise working directly with youth, mixed with a group of 'creatives' / multi media developers who direct the aesthetic and interactivity of the website. The success of mindyourmind is partially attributed to its ability to interconnect content, interactivity and an aesthetic that resonates with youth. However, most of its success deservedly goes to the hundreds of youth who have contributed to the site and the thousands who visit every day.
Our philosophy of engagement evolves with every conversation and interaction that we have with our participants. mindyourmind operates on a feedback loop that begins, ends and begins again with them.
We are also informed by the lessons learned in a wired world. mindyourmind acknowledges that for the first time in history, youth can effectively prevent adults from ever interrupting them again. And you can be sure that for most youth, most of the time, messages around mental wellness will be seen as an interruption if not delivered in a timely and relevant way. They have taken their own power and won't cede you any without their permission.
With hundreds of channels, millions of websites, and the presence of countless other distractions, paying attention to you, is precious. They are skilled technologically, they are connected, they are independent in their world and they feel they are powerful. Any approach that is based on adult / child or authority / victim dynamics, will not captivate them. Reaching out to youth in conventional ways... a flyer, a poster, a referral to the school guidance counselor...these strategies are easy to dismiss because with all the demands on their attention, youth have become very good at filtering out the noise and ignoring us .These strategies are not enough to galvanize youth to act on their own behalf or to attend to our message. We know that to be true, based on the number of youth who are falling through the cracks.
The great news is that the internet and communication technology has changed everything. It is driving innovation, it is enabling youth to create, develop and customize their own platforms and broadcast mediums. As service providers and educators it is easier to sort out what they need, what they want, what they worry about, what they aspire to do all because they have different ways of communicating that to us and each other. It has also become easier for youth to organize without us because the tools are readily available. Accessibility on the internet is rarely an issue unless of course you have a 'dusty website'. They have forged their own independence and an innovative system to satisfy their needs. They are not convinced easily that they need us or our message.
So how do we get their attention?
Permission Engagement is a term that we've coined to describe the politics of what we do and how we do it. Permission Engagement is based heavily on the principles of Permission Marketing. After all, one could argue that mental health promotion is really about marketing the idea of change; that it is achievable; that it can improve quality of life and that we all have the ability to lead ourselves and others through change. Permission Engagement looks at how we sell youth on the notion of change but starts with reframing how we build relationships with them.
Permission Engagement is a promise.
It is the promise you make to youth to deliver x,y and z in a way that resonates for them and in return they agree to give you their attention. It is a social transaction based on respect for the integrity, intelligence and culture of both parties. Permission Engagement is also about persuading youth to raise their hands, wanting to know more about what you do, what you offer, how you can impact their lives. It is about communicating very clearly to them, "this is what's in it for you, here's what you stand to gain, this is how your life can be different if you take us up on our offer of x, y, and z". And as Seth Godin asserts in his book Tribes: We Need you To Lead Us "Help them achieve their goals so that overtime they will help you achieve yours". For mindyourmind.ca our vision is one that sees youth transform into focused self advocates and community assets. Its about developing coping tools/resources for them and with them so that they can help themselves and/or their friends during a tough time. It is about helping youth connect, find each other, share their stories and then share our story so that eventually the conversations move from 'tell me what's in it for me' to 'this is what's in it for all of us'.
Process Is Product
Key factors that help frame our work with youth.
There are no shortcuts. Permission Engagement is costly and takes time.
Permission Engagement is not driven by product or outputs... it is Process Driven. Not to suggest that deliverables aren't important. They just aren't the sole or primary determinants of success.