#Keready Shines a Light on Suicide Awareness Day

#Keready, a movement dedicated to youth health, is stepping up to raise awareness on Suicide Awareness Day, which falls on Sunday 10 September 2023. The project, consists of ten young doctors, along with a team of 96 nurses supported by communicators, drivers and mobilisers who ensure that the young people in four provinces, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, have access to the health services they need. With the vision of promoting a healthy lifestyle and providing a safe space for young people to get health checks and information, Keready is also committed to tackling the sensitive issue of suicide prevention amongst the youth.

“Suicidality is a pressing health concern that can affect individuals from diverse backgrounds, irrespective of culture, gender, or economic status. Sadly, young people are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges,” says Dr James Menyah-Artivor a young Keready doctor.

As part of Keready, forty-six mobile health clinics have been set up to offer health checks, to screen and test for a variety of conditions, such as sexually transmitted infections, blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV. These units are also available for young people to ask questions they have about their health, their body, including questions relating to their mental health.

The Keready doctors, as young medical practitioners, also know and understand the challenges youth face today, and encourage open conversations about mental health.

“By promoting open, honest conversations, we hope to combat the stigma associated with mental health issues and create a safe space for young people to seek support and share their experiences,” says Dr Afifa Titus, another one of the doctors who oversee the WhatsApp a Keready Doctor line.

Through unconventional marketing campaigns such as TikTok challenges, podcasts, and WhatsApp messages, and their 46 mobile health units, Keready provides practical tips and self-care strategies to help young individuals manage their health, as well as their emotions and reduce stress and anxiety. They also share information about  mental health services, support hotlines, and online support communities that offer local assistance. With this, the project recognises that self-care and emotional well-being play a crucial role in preventing suicide.

“We invite the community, media, and all caring individuals to join suicide prevention efforts, especially on this significant day. Together, we can break the silence and create a culture of understanding, compassion, and resilience amongst young people,” says Dr Asanda Shabalala.

Check out Keready’s website for mobile clinics in your area (GP, WC, EC and KZN). For any questions relating to health, the Keready doctors can also be reached 24/7 through their WhatsApp line: 060 019 00 00.

The Keready doctors host a weekly TikTok Live every Wednesday at 7pm on their TikTok channel.

Connect with Keready on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | WhatsApp

About Keready
#Keready launched in February 2022 and initially positioned itself as a ‘youth Covid-19 vaccination movement’ with its #keready2flex Challenge, but it has evolved into a movement that seeks to enhance healthcare-seeking behaviour among young people and improve access to health services. #Keready now offers integrated health services, via 46 mobile health clinics, taken directly to young people.
Young people comprise well over a third of South Africa’s population making them a key demographic for social, economic and political change, yet more often than not they are excluded from decision-making that has a direct impact on them. It’s therefore not surprising that many young people are distrustful of government, business and society in general, especially when faced with service delivery having broken down, corruption, scarcity of opportunities, and limited social mobility or prospects for improved income growth. When it comes to health there is a gap in health services for young people with the focus primarily being on SRH services for women, and men are scarcely provided for or other forms of prevention either. Youth are also left out of the communication process that is aimed at them and aren’t likely to respond favourably to information that is state-sponsored or delivered by paid influencers with a hidden objective, even if it is for their own good. Instead, they tend to rely on information from their peers, professionals and trusted community members.

So, what do you do when you are trying to motivate healthcare-seeking behaviour, active citizenry and agency among the youth? Well you launch an unbranded campaign that calls on young people to be the creators of their own message and you provide a platform for them to roll out their own content. Keready put young people in control of the message, creating incentives for their participation in vaccination programmes and public health activities, as well as offering unfiltered health information. No jargon and no judgement are just some of the Keready principles for communication and mobilisation. It also recruited young ex-community service doctors to talk to young people about their health in a lingo that is palatable and relatable (Mogodu Monday, Skrr skrr and 4-5!) and uses a mix of platforms to engage. Unconventional marketing platforms that aren’t usually used for health promotion, such as Twitter Space, TitTok challenges, Weekend Guides, IG lives with a guest doctor, Health Reels, Podcasts and WhatsApp A Doctor, are part of the mix where youth actively engage with Keready.

The frank, unfiltered approach of providing health information from young doctors and nurses for young people, bolstered its credibility, and this age group has seen the biggest proportion of weekly vaccinations since the Keready launch. The message is clear you have to reach people where they are. The Keready team also forms part of DGMT’s demand acceleration team tasked with driving public communication and awareness, by supporting and working with the National Department of Health, and has been fully endorsed by the Minister.

#Keready mobile clinics operate in four provinces that have large numbers of young people (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape) staffed by a team comprising a professional nurse, enrolled nurse, driver, communicator and local mobilisers supported by the Keready doctors. Services offered include: health screening – HIV, cholesterol, diabetes; SRH and family planning services; immunisations that include HPV, measles and Covid-19; health check-ups; and treatment for a range of health conditions. This model is pioneering and set to change the way health services are provided to and accessed by young people.