JanSport Passes the Mic to Gen Z to Talk Mental Health Through Teenager Therapy Podcast

DENVER, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its campaign #LightenTheLoad, aimed at destigmatizing mental health issues within Gen Z,  JanSport has partnered with Teenager Therapy, a podcast made for teenagers by teenagers. Through this partnership JanSport will sponsor a series of episodes during Mental Health Awareness Month that address some of the most important issues Gen Z faces including isolation, self-esteem and relationships.

"JanSport began the Lighten the Load Campaign during the COVID19 lockdowns to get teens talking about mental health and to let them know they are not alone," said Monica Rigali, Head of Marketing at JanSport. "Teenager Therapy breaks down mental health issues into simple, relatable language, offering its young audience a platform to have an important conversation. JanSport is proud to support them—especially during Mental Health Awareness month."

Listeners can stream the Teenager Therapy episodes on Twitch each Sunday to hear and call into an open conversation around mental health issues. After each session, JanSport will share via Instagram Stories a curated selection of mental health resources by Teenager Therapy related to the call theme.  The series launches on May 9 and continues throughout the month with topics including:

• May 9, 2021 - Self-esteem: Navigating through the teenage years and the high expectations set by social media can lead to ebbs and flows with self-esteem. On this episode, hosts will take calls from their audience centered around their own experiences and questions surrounding the at times sensitive topic.
• May 16, 2021- Isolation: Isolation can have a huge impact on mental health. The past year has made this clearer than ever. Hosts will have a freeform conversation about the challenges of isolation and some helpful antidotes during this episode.
• May 23, 2021 - Compassion Fatigue: While showing compassion for others is a large part of the human experience and there are a number of social justice causes Gen Z cares deeply for, it's easy to overextend and forget to show compassion for yourself. Teenager Therapy hosts will take calls from their audience around the emotional exhaustion often associated with caring.
• May 30, 2021 - Family: Every family is built differently and with that, comes unique challenges and dynamics. This episode will facilitate an honest conversation between hosts about the impacts and challenges associated with family. 

"I think all teenagers want to feel like they're not alone," said Teenager Therapy cohost Gael
Aitor, 17. "Vulnerability was not a value we held at the start of the podcast, but after realizing how powerful it is, we quickly began to adopt and advocate for it."

This dedicated podcast series will highlight issues a diverse mix of young people are working through, in hopes of helping to normalize and destigmatize them. The Lighten the Load campaign first began in May of 2020 when JanSport hosted a live online conversation with  mental health experts touching on timely topics. The brand also released a series of original films to provide young people with a platform to have conversations surrounding mental health. Each unscripted film showed a glimpse of a teen's mental health journey and insights on what they're doing to lighten the load. For more information and updates on the campaign, please visit jansport.com/lightentheload.

About JanSport^®
JanSport, a division of VF Outdoor, LLC., was founded in 1967 in Seattle, WA, by three pioneers in the outdoor industry. Though the brand began by manufacturing and marketing world-class outdoor backpacks, today the product offering includes outdoor gear and daypacks sold on http://www.jansport.com/www.jansport.com, department stores, and specialty and boutique retail locations throughout the world. All JanSport packs are backed by a lifetime warranty to guarantee they stand by customers through their life's adventures.

About Teenager Therapy
Teenager Therapy is a coming-of-age story told in real-time. A culmination of mistakes, and growth, and a reminder you're not alone. The Anaheim, California based group includes Gael Aitor, 17, Thomas Pham, 17, Kayla Suarez, 17, Isaac Hurtado, 18, and Mark Hugo, 17. Their podcast debuted in 2018 and has grown to have over 528,000 subscribers, over 3.3 million streams and over 3 million downloads.

SOURCE JanSport