Hinge launches Mental Health Advocates of Tomorrow to support LGBTQBIA+ and BIPOC communities

In May, to honour Mental Health Awareness Month, we helped Hinge launch an industry-first fund to ensure future daters from LGBTQBIA+ and BIPOC communities have better access to empathetic therapists who can help them build healthy relationships.

Hinge believes that taking care of one’s own mental wellness sets the foundation for how we make meaningful connections, but for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, therapists who truly understand their needs, experiences, and perspectives are few and far between. According to the  Trevor Project, nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth aren’t receiving mental health care due to concerns around a provider’s LGBTQIA+ competence and compassion, and only one in four mental health counselors are people of color, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

In response, we were honored to help Hinge develop the Hinge Mental Health Advocates of Tomorrow initiative to award ten aspiring therapists and counselors who demonstrate a commitment to supporting mental health/wellness for BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ individuals each $10,000 to help cover the cost of their U.S. education.

In addition to working with Hinge to build the campaign concept/strategy, application criteria, and managing the contest, the CSM team developed the creative for the campaign microsite where applicants can enter through June 17, 2022.

Our team also helped secure and manage the campaign ambassador for the initiative, multidisciplinary artist and mental health champion, Fariha Róisín, author of the forthcoming HarperWave book, “Who Is Wellness For? An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind.” Róisín helped promote the campaign across her social media channels and will serve as a judge on the final panel to select the 10 grant recipients in August.

To help amplify the campaign even further and ensure it reaches the eligible, aspiring future advocates who are most deserving of the opportunity, our team also secured the partnership support of Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: BEAM and Inclusive Therapists. We provided communications toolkits including graphic assets and copy to these organizations to help them spread the word about Hinge Mental Health Advocates of Tomorrow across their networks.

The campaign earned media coverage in leading outlets including Essence, Mashable, Gay Times, Hypebae, and more.