Hey To my fellow UNICEF supporter, Jeremy Lin here — professional basketball player, UNICEF Ambassador and mental health advocate.
A lot of people see me as an athlete on the court, but what they don’t realize and what they don’t see is the anxiety that I used to struggle with — to the point where I couldn’t sleep or eat. Getting the support I needed really helped me handle the fears and anxiety that I was facing. It’s why mental health is a deeply personal topic to me. I have been on my own journey with mental health and seen some of my loved ones walk through this journey as well.
Childhood mental health issues are becoming more and more prevalent these days, and it breaks my heart that many children don’t have access to the support they need. Without the resources to take care of your own mental health, it’s very hard to thrive. Through working with UNICEF over the past four years, I have learned about issues affecting children around the world and UNICEF’s efforts to support children’s mental health, including an after-school sports program for refugee children in Armenia and safe places for Ukrainian children to play team sports as a recovery tool for coping with the traumas of war.
UNICEF is fully committed to the mission of helping children, and I have seen them advocate for and reach children going through the hardest challenges. Read more about UNICEF’s work supporting children’s mental health and why it’s so important.
Advocating for mental health and breaking down the stigmas around it is something we can all do, even with limited resources. Having a conversation with someone or speaking up about your own mental health will help normalize the discussion, and together, we’ll be able to help today’s youth get the support they need.
Thank you for advocating for children this Mental Health Awareness Month, |
Jeremy Lin
UNICEF Ambassador |
