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Cast Away and Teach Love

Cast Away
A group of three teens wades ashore on a remote island after capsizing. They are alarmed at the prospect of being marooned with no water, no food, and – worst of all – no social media! CAST AWAY does not lecture teens on how excessive social use can contribute to depression, but warns with a wink – showing teens in exaggerated activities while still riveted to their phones. Final suggestion – phones can also be used to call people, an activity far more “social” than “social.media.”

Teach Love
Praise is powerful for kids to hear at home AND in the classroom. Visit parenting.org from Boys Town to explore our vast library of resources backed by over 100 years of experience to share more praise with the kids in your life. Let’s teach more love in our homes and classrooms. For every age and every stage, Boys Town.

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Baggage and This Was Me

Baggage
Every family has their challenges, their issues and their baggage. You can’t always see it but it’s there all the same. Boys Town wants parents to know that they don’t have to hide it – and they don’t have to face these challenges alone. Parents across the country can visit boystown.org/parenting for valuable guides, downloadable parenting tools, and expert advice. Whether the baggage is big or small, Boys Town can help lighten the load, so parents can get back to the things that matter. For any age, any stage.

This Was Me
This PSA, titled “This Was Me” – urges teens who are suffering from depression – a growing epidemic in recent years – to take the first step leading to recovery. We meet a teen girl sitting alone in her high school bleachers. She looks lonely, confused and depressed. We hear her thoughts as she laments that her friends seem to be having more fun. She shares that her parents try to cheer her up, but nothing seemed to work. She transitions forward from her gloomy outlook into an amusement park setting, where she now rides a thrilling roller coaster, laughing and waving with friends. Her thoughts now strike a different, more upbeat note, as she talks about her recovery process, jump-started by visiting YourLifeYourVoice.org. She urges other depressed teens to visit this site. She reminds young viewers that they have the strength to get their lives back, if they take the first step with YourLifeYourVoice.org.

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Make Your Move and Breaking Point

Make Your Move
This PSA, titled “Make Your Move” – urges teens who are suffering from depression – a growing epidemic in recent years – to take the first step leading to recovery. We meet a teen boy who looks down and dejected as he walks in his school’s hallway. We hear his thoughts as he laments his depressed outlook and tries to examine how he came to this sad state. As he muses to himself, animated goblins and menacing images swirl around him, reflecting his anxiety. He realizes that he has the strength to bounce back – and that first step must be his. He vows to turn his life around – and shares that he found support at YourLifeYourVoice.org – the website from Boys Town, the organization that’s been serving troubled teens for a century.

Breaking Point
Sometimes a problem will just go away. But some things need attention before reaching the breaking point. You don’t have to face these problems alone. Visit boystown.org/ parenting for valuable guides, downloadable parenting tools and expert advice. If you need immediate help, call the trained counselors at the Boys Town National Hotline, 800-448-3000.

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Past Curfew and Look Happy…

Past Curfew
As a parent, your heart beats fast when your teen is out past curfew and you cannot get a hold of them. Boys Town is at the other end of the line to listen and offer advice as you need to help get your teen back on track to making good decisions. This PSA dramatizes this interaction between parents and how we can support each other by referring them to the experts at the Boys Town National Hotline at 800-448-3000.

Look Happy…
Suicide rates for teens continue to be the third-leading cause of death in this age group behind fatal accidents (mostly car crashes) and homicide.

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More or Less and What If…

More or Less..
A teen girl sits alone in her bedroom, moping. We hear her thoughts as she shares her depressed feelings. She resolves to take action – by making a master list of activities and habits she needs to do more of, as well as things she needs to now do less of. On the plus side, she vows to start taking better care of herself. With a better diet, more outdoor activities, more attention to her personal appearance and neatness. In quick TikTok style, we see her turning her life around by faithfully following her list – replacing her bad habits with a more constructive, healthy lifestyle. Her list idea worked for her. For more ideas on defeating teen depression, she urges teens to visit YourLifeYourVoice.org.

What If…
In the latest parenting PSA from Boys Town, we see it opening with a new parent unsure of the next steps to take to ensure they are doing the best they can for their child. These questions are not unique and plague parents in every stage of their child’s life. For all your “what ifs” and “did I do the right things”, and for all those “How tos” from diapers to discipline, the child behavior experts at Boys Town have answers. Our comprehensive website provides valuable guides, downloadable parenting tools and even several FREE email series about parenting challenges. The PSA ends with reminding parents that for every age and stage, go to boystown.org/parenting.

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Bricks and What Are Kids Reasons

When it comes to parenting, very rarely do things go the way you pictured it. Don’t be discouraged with how it’s going, but get tips and advice from parenting experts to get you where you want to be on boystown.org/parenting. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian of a toddler, teen or someone in between, we’ve got parenting guides, articles, videos, tools and quick tips from experts backed by over 100 years of experience. Get your parenting “going” in the right direction with Boys Town

Teens are especially vulnerable to depression, caused by any number of reasons. Uninspired social lives, poor self-esteem, bullying, friction with parents, bad grades – are a few of the factors that can weigh heavily on their shoulders. Teens under these stresses can recover but may need a jump-start — to identify their issues and guide them through steps to lighten their loads. In this message, we remind teens that they have the power themselves to take control of their negative feelings and turn their lives around. We also refer them to our YourLifeYourVoice.org website for more clues on taking their own initiatives to overcome their problems.

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Back To Normal and How It’s Going

In “Back to Normal”, a suburban neighborhood, a teen girl walks toward us, looking perplexed. She is having a hard time interpreting the news she keeps hearing about everything getting “back to normal” soon. We hear her thoughts as she shares her feelings. She observes that things have been so “un-normal” with the pandemic and its impact the past year or two, she can hardly recall what “normal” really means. Or which “normal” self she would even recognize. In her bedroom, she poses in front of her mirror in different outfits and different hair styles, searching for the “normal” she used to be. Ultimately, she casts aside all her old props and accessories and realizes that she’s changed since those pre-pandemic days. She’s been through a lot and it’s made her stronger. Now, her energies should go toward moving forward to discover her “new normal” and not in going back to recover her “old” one

In “How it’s Going”, when it comes to parenting, very rarely do things go the way you pictured it. Don’t be discouraged with how it’s going, but get tips and advice from parenting experts to get you where you want to be on boystown.org/parenting. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian of a toddler, teen or someone in between, we’ve got parenting guides, articles, videos, tools and quick tips from experts backed by over 100 years of experience. Get your parenting “going” in the right direction with Boys Town.

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A New Approach/Parents Are People

In “A New Approach,” it addresses the issue of going to extremes parenting your teen. It might be time to take a new approach. Visit boystown.org/parenting. We’ve got parenting guides, articles, videos, quick tips and even live Parent Talks with Boys Town experts.

Boys Town. Take your parenting skills to new heights.

In “Parents are People.” this spot urges depressed teens to “go first” in re-connecting with parents – all living closely in depressed households coping with pandemic restrictions. Visit ylyv.org.

Please consider running these important spots in your PSA rotation.

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Mental Health Matters & Happy Place

Happy Place

In this animated spot, a teenage girl – sitting up on her bed – shares with us how trying and tedious her world has become after being cooped up at home for so long. During that time, her parents have “not been themselves” and her young siblings have become annoying “little creatures.” Her emotions are visually dramatized by her bedroom walls seeming to close in on her. She then shares, “If this sounds like your house, try going someplace new– yourlifeyourvoice.org.” She adds, “It might not get you out of the house, but it could help you find a little more breathing room…” as her walls then relax out again and she engages her little siblings with some happy ticklings.

Mental Health Matters

Visit BOYS TOWN DOT ORG SLASH STRESSED OUT for great self-care tips for parents.

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Catch Kids Being Good and Love Letter

Catch Kids Being Good

Parents.  Did you know we all hold the key to raising confident, caring children? All we have to do is unlock the power of praise. Catching kids being good is at the heart of every parenting strategy you’ll find at boystown.org/parenting.  Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian of a toddler, teen or someone in between, we’ve got parenting guides, articles, videos, quick tips and even live parent talks on Facebook with Boys Town experts.

So, we’re constantly investing in praising children and finding those opportunities.  It really helps them with that self-affirmation and that positive thinking. And then that really reduces their negative behavior.

The answer to discipline is praise.  Isn’t that lovely. 

Who would have thought it!

Visit boystown.org/praise to receive your “10 Ways to Praise” magnet. It’s a great reminder to catch them being good, and that great parenting advice is just a click away! Love Letter

Love Letter

The concept in “Love Letter” is that many teens are depressed and confused by the recent social and political unrest.  They don’t know how they feel — or if they should “align” with any of the conflicting groups.  The final lesson is that – above all – teens need to trust in, and care about, themselves. 

This spot would utilize a popular ballad called “Love Letter” by the artist Jocelyn. 

The spot utilizes rotoscope animation to offer a striking depiction of teen life in this trying time.  Here, crowds challenge our hero teen (played by Jocelyn herself) as she walks among demonstrators holding signs and chanting.  Back and forth from Jocelyn to crowd scenes – we don’t see or hear specific messages – just the commotion they create. 

We cut away to “live” Jocelyn performing a few emotional phrases of her piece at keyboard and guitar. 

Back to animation, Jocelyn extends a reassuring hand to help a confused teen up from curb, and walks into sunset with her as her song faces out, urging teens to believe in themselves.  

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Teach Love and Dreams

“DREAMS”

Teens are often surrounded by teachers and teen influencers who tell them how “they can achieve whatever they set their minds to achieve.” For teens experiencing depression (a condition one in five go through) these motivational messages only make their depression worse.

In “Dreams” we see a girl who encounters these motivational messages – on social media, in class, and ultimately from a commencement speaker. She confides to camera that she had trouble processing these messages while feeling so gloomy.

She finds supportive, inspiring stories of teens who work through their depression on yourlifeyourvoice.org. And comes to believe that she can indeed achieve her dreams – starting with simply finding herself again. She urges confused teens to take the first step at yourliftyourvoice.org

“TEACH LOVE”

Love and respect are at the core of each parenting strategy from Boys Town.

• Teach me respect.
• Teach me patience.
• Teach me kindness.
• Teach me love.

Visit boystown.org/magnet to receive your “Teach Love” magnet.

Because the change we want to see in our world begins at home, and Boys Town is there to help along the way.

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Our Time Together and Phony Posts

It’s just human nature for us to focus more on the negatives than the positives and to look for things to criticize rather than things to praise. For parents, it’s easy to fall into this habit with our kids. At Boys Town, we strive to encourage parents to praise their children many different ways.

“OUR TIME TOGETHER” This pandemic has brought new meaning to the work/life balance so many parents already struggle to establish. As we all navigate this new normal, Boys Town wants parents to know we are there to listen no matter the need. Filmed entirely by cell phone to adhere to social distancing guidelines, this captures the chaos of life right now while offering reassurance at boystown.org/parenting and 800-448-3000.

“PHONY POSTS”

Teenagers spend a lot of time on social media, talking to friends, posting pictures, and expressing their opinions. Parents need to model appropriate behavior and talk with their kids about what an appropriate online post looks like and sounds like.

Social media has many positives. It allows us to connect in ways we never had before. It helps us further our education and access news quickly.

For more information on social media and other parenting advice, visit boystown.org.

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More Ways to Praise and One in Five

It’s just human nature for us to focus more on the negatives than the positives and to look for things to criticize rather than things to praise. For parents, it’s easy to fall into this habit with our kids. At Boys Town, we strive to encourage parents to praise their children many different ways.

In “More Ways to Praise”, we see several situations of parents praising their kids – on a napkin in their lunch box, sign language, a sign at a volleyball game and memes. It doesn’t matter how a parent praises their child, just that they do it often.

In “One In Five”, we address teen depression and ways to overcome this common problem facing our youth today.

We have just sent the digital files below. These are TV PSAs from Boys Town. Please forward these files to your public service or community affairs director.

Please consider running these important spots in your PSA rotation.

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10 Ways to Praise Parents/Conversation 

Our campaign entitled “Parenting Isn’t Easy” features TV host, Josh Temple, interacting with kids. The result is a humorous insight into the mind of a child in these :60/:30 and :15 second spots encouraging parents to visit www.Boystown.org/parenting to access free resources.

Our latest TV PSA titled: “Me” is inspired by the idea that every person has the strength within them to overcome life’s challenges. For some, that’s difficult to believe when nothing seems to be going right in their life. This PSA includes scenes with a teen sitting alone at lunch, ignored by their peers and feeling overwhelmed with life. We hear the teen’s thoughts filled with angst – before learning that they’ve found the strength to recover their former level of enthusiasm for life. The teen finds someone to “show her the first step…” which is www.YourLifeYourVoice.com – a support website from Boys Town

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Me and Parenting Isn’t Easy

Our campaign entitled “Parenting Isn’t Easy” features TV host, Josh Temple, interacting with kids. The result is a humorous insight into the mind of a child in these :60/:30 and :15 second spots encouraging parents to visit www.Boystown.org/parenting to access free resources.

Our latest TV PSA titled: “Me” is inspired by the idea that every person has the strength within them to overcome life’s challenges. For some, that’s difficult to believe when nothing seems to be going right in their life. This PSA includes scenes with a teen sitting alone at lunch, ignored by their peers and feeling overwhelmed with life. We hear the teen’s thoughts filled with angst – before learning that they’ve found the strength to recover their former level of enthusiasm for life. The teen finds someone to “show her the first step…” which is www.YourLifeYourVoice.com – a support website from Boys Town.

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Point/Counterpoint and Parents 

Our latest TV PSA titled: “Point/Counterpoint” is inspired by the notion that every “story” has two sides: We see and hear parents who are feeling angst over their depressed teen. They watch her retreat from them, spending evenings alone in her bedroom, not eating with them. The PSA includes scenes with her sitting alone, walking, petting her dog. We hear her thoughts juxtaposed with her parents’ comments – before learning that she’s found the strength to recover her former level of enthusiasm for life. She finds someone to “show her the first step…” which is www.YourLifeYourVoice.com – a support website from Boys Town.

Parents
In addition to this teen campaign, Boys Town is releasing a second campaign targeting parents and their free parenting content. Television host, Josh Temple, asks kids of all ages to answer your most burning parenting questions. The result is a humorous insight into the mind of a child in these clever :60/:30 and :15 second spots encouraging parents to visit http://www.Boystown.org/parenting to access our free resources