You Got This 2021 - messages of support for Year 12 students

COVID-19 was a difficult time for many Australians – especially Year 12 students.

Lockdowns, homeschooling, missing key milestone school events (such as formals, sports and birthdays) and the uncertainty of COVID-19 was especially hard on all Australians. This included Year 12 students going through the stress of their final exams.

You Got This, an initiative developed by DrinkWise, featured well-known Australians offering messages of support to Year 12s, encouraging them to stay positive and resilient. Importantly, this initiative provided a reminder that there are support services that can offer help and advice if they are feeling stressed or anxious. The initiative reinforced that trying to relieve stress or anxiety with alcohol or drugs is definitely not the answer.

Led by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the messages were delivered by more than 30 prominent Australians, including:

Cody Simpson
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese
Television hosts Georgie Gardner and Amanda Keller
Musicians Clare Bowditch and Samantha Jade
Wallaby Samu Kerevi
ABC 7.30’s Leigh Sales
AFL, NRL and NBL players
Comedians and artists.

The community-based campaign was supported by Headspace, Beyond Blue, ReachOut, Kids Helpline and My Mirror support services, with direct links and support for anyone who wanted to seek help.

Backed by research

DrinkWise is an evidence-based organisation, so developing a solid research base for this campaign was critical to understand if the hypothesis and the anecdotal commentary around worsening mental health was correct – and if so – how serious that situation was for students. Over two years, DrinkWise conducted independent research on Year 12 students across Australia to understand the opinions, feelings and attitudes of Year 12 students in regard to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 disruptions.

The results revealed an alarming decline in the mental health of the Class of 2021 when compared to the Class of 2020: The results showed a significant decline in the mental health of Year 12 students over the two-year period:

Yougotthis_infographic_2021_v8_2

Evaluation

The campaign was a resounding success, with 85% of Year 12 students surveyed saying You Got This was a positive initiative. It’s rare that a campaign can cut through media network exclusivity, the political divide and eliminate the need for top billing rights amongst celebrities. It was gratifying that so many prominent Australians wanted to volunteer their time, demonstrating the innovative and timely nature of the campaign. It was evident that so many understood the challenges facing young Australians and wanted to help them stay strong, resilient and confident.

The campaign generated:

national TV, print, radio, online media and press release reach of 12.3 million
social media reach of over four million.

The campaign

The campaign received national television, radio, print and online media coverage and was delivered via a mix of social and digital media channels. DrinkWise shared support videos periodically in the lead up to the Year 12 exam period, delivering messages of support and encouragement from recognisable Australians. Delivering these messages during that highly stressful time clearly resonated with the students. DrinkWise ensured the messages could be shared-on from social platforms, allowing family and friends of Year 12 students to reinforce the message both publicly and privately. Prominent Australians also shared through their social channels, significantly increasing reach.

The diversity of those involved was key to the program success, illustrating that the broader community were all very conscious of student hardship and wanted them to remain positive and enthusiastic about the future.

To see the videos of support please go to www.yougotthis.org.au