A New Campaign From An Unlikely Source Helps Remind Troubled Students They’re Not Alone

If you’re over the age of, say, 30, you probably don’t understand the need for a text messaging service outside the one your phone provides. But the emergent company Shine is reaching out to everyone, young and old alike, to make them feel better about themselves. Because older folks aren’t exactly early adopters when it comes to new apps and tech, the company has directed its newest campaign to students who may be experiencing stress and struggles early on in a new school year.

We recently addressed the epidemic of stress plaguing half of all American high school students. The best way to address stress and anxiety is to make students and parents aware that these issues don’t just exist — they’re prevalent.

The company’s new campaign, The Flip Side, seeks to help students share the many internalized issues that may otherwise mount and fester if left unchecked. Further, by sharing these issues, students are learning they’re not alone, there is no shame, and they have support.

Using the hashtag #ShareTheFlipSide, students are confessing what goes on behind the facade of seemingly cool or perfect students.

Make no mistake, the hashtag campaign is a marketing campaign for Shine, but that doesn’t mean it’s not well-intentioned or providing very real benefits for students suffering from countless academic, familial, or social pressures.

Students looking to participate can use this template to disclose what’s going on privately in their own lives, both to feel better about themselves and to let other kids (or adults) realize that no one’s suffering alone. They don’t always know that.