General Pants Co. has partnered with Black Dog Institute to launch world-first Gen Z initiative STAY BOLD, leveraging leading research to drive meaningful change in mental health amongst youth.
The unique partnership will harness General Pants Co.’s long-established connection with Australia’s youth and Black Dog Institute’s world-class research and leading experts.
The STAY BOLD initiative will launch in conjunction with Black Dog Institute’s largest research project, the 5-year Future Proofing Study, which will engage up to 20,000 Year 8 students. The study will leverage the use of smartphones to understand what triggers the development of mental illness in young people and identify prevention measures against the emergence of mental health problems.
General Pants Co. CEO Sacha Laing says the partnership was inspired by the brand’s new positioning LED BY NONE, which involved extensive community research to uncover what is important to Gen Z.
“This generation feels passionately about mental health. They want to talk about it. They want to be heard. We came away from this research with the view we had a bigger role to play,” he says.
“We knew we had a responsibility to our community and 1,000+ Gen Z team members to do something more impactful than just a moment. We are committed to constantly moving forward, learning and evolving, to drive sustainable change.
“We want to place the conversation right at the heart of youth culture and use the STAY BOLD initiative to positively impact how both our customers and team feel and respond to mental health.”
STAY BOLD will not only support the Future Proofing Study throughout the 5-year period but will also leverage the findings to drive awareness within the community in real-time.
October marks Mental Health Month, providing the perfect opportunity to launch the partnership.
“We’re excited to announce the partnership with General Pants Co. to help support the mental health of Gen Z across the brand’s community, and empowering them to shape the discussion about their future,” says Karen Elliff, Director of Fundraising and Development at Black Dog Institute.
“During adolescence, 50% of mental health problems emerge and that’s why the funds raised through this partnership will go towards the research for The Future Proofing Study.
