According to the WHO, the World Health Organization, suicide is the #2 cause of death among people 15 to 24 years old. Suicide has become an even greater threat during the Covid-19 pandemic, and underscores the importance of taking a closer look at young people's mental health. According to Google, searches about anguish, anxiety, and depression, spiked by 98% in 2020, and the Lemman/Itaú Social Foundation reports that 77% of students in Brazil stated feeling sad, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed. In recent years, the number of suicides among young people in Brazil has doubled. CVV is an NGO that works on suicide prevention and the challenge was to create an efficient way to reach an audience that is typically more averse to conversations about mental health.

CVV Life Gamers is the first e-Sports team that plays for young people's mental health. We trained gamers to detect signs in those who need help while they play.

In Brazil, 82% of young people play video games, so the idea is to train the young players themselves to be able to recognize when a friend or game partner may be at risk.

Youths talk to youths, it is extremely important that they learn how to help, listen without judging, and encourage their friends to reach out to the CVV or to a professional.

CVV started a program that trains e-sports pro players and streamers to detect signs and start a conversation about Mental Health and about CVV, where there are people prepared to listen to them by phone or chat 24/7. Youths talk to youths, so the idea caught the attention of large streamers and professional teams who have millions of followers on social networks and want to know how to better help their fans and game partners, who often ask for help in chats and comments on live casts. September is suicide prevention month in Brazil, and Life Gamers promoted live-casts with show matches between professional teams that had received the training, getting the media's attention.

In partnership with major e-sports teams in Brazil, CVV started a program that trains e-sports pro players and streamers through live-casts and lectures by psychologists and experts, in addition to online classes and access to specialized content, such as the "Talking openly about suicide" primer. CVV Life Gamers also promoted live-casts with friendly matches between professional teams that had received the training, especially in September which is suicide prevention month in Brazil.

Anyone interested in the project could visit the website and learn the steps to become a Life Gamer. The idea is that more and more gamers, whether they are pro, amateurs, or fans, will join this noble effort and create the largest and strongest e-sports team in the world.

We impacted a lot of people in a very large universe since 82% of young people play video games. In just a few months, more than 300 professional gamers and streamers were trained. More than 3000 amateur players registered for the training.

The training has also caught the attention of large streamers who have millions of followers on social networks and want to know how to better help their fans, who often ask for help in chats and comments on live-casts.

The greatest gamers and teams in the country shared the idea on their social media reaching more than 2 million people impacted and more than 8 million potential impressions. The live-casts with friendly matches between professional teams reached more than 1000 simultaneous views. CVV website had 215% more visits. All of this with zero media investment.