Use your voice against loneliness

During the Week of Mental Health, Odido, Join Us and MIND Us are calling on everyone in the Netherlands to break the silence and really connect and talk to each other again. The message is clear: use your voice against loneliness. Because although making contact is easier than ever - with full contact lists, hundreds of followers and dozens of group apps - more than one in three young people feel lonely. Conversations have become quieter. Contact more superficial. And loneliness quietly creeps in.

“A text message is sent quickly,” says Britt (20), who herself has long felt the need for more social contact. “And behind a screen I may feel socially connected, but in conversation you feel that connection goes deeper.”

The numbers don't lie because as many as 44.6% of young people have recently felt somewhat to severely lonely*. Young people meet up less often, even though they know that contact in particular is important for their mental health. Some indicate that they even find it exciting to have a real conversation - as if they have lost touch. And that is precisely where the power of the call lies: to show that things can be done differently, and that they must be done differently.

❤️ is not the same as “I love you” 
The call Use Your Voice Against Loneliness is based on insights from scientific research**. While digital communication - such as emojis, apps and voice messages - sometimes helps, spoken language proves especially powerful in conveying real emotions. In a voice there are nuances, warmth, and involvement. Exactly what you miss in a world full of quick messages and filters when you feel lonely. 

Jolanda van Gerwe, Director, Director Join Us Foundation: “We see daily how powerful it is when young people really connect. But also, how difficult that sometimes can be in a digital world. Many young people feel lonely, but don't dare to say so. We want to open up the conversation about this. It starts with listening - and using your voice.” 

Frederieke Vriends, director MIND Us: “Young people need more than a like or a quick response. Real attention and genuine conversations contribute to mental resilience. By using your voice, you can make a difference - sometimes that's why a simple 'how are you really doing' is so powerful.”

An emoji is quick to send. But what does it really say?  
With striking images and the slogan Use Your Voice, the campaign shows what a conversation can do. Because a quick emoji can never beat a real conversation. Starting this week, the call can be seen and heard everywhere - on TV, radio, online, in newspapers, magazines, and on social media.

The national call is aimed at everyone and deliberately places the responsibility not on lonely young people themselves, but on those around them. In doing so, Use Your Voice Against Loneliness breaks through the stigma that often rests on loneliness. Lonely young people often experience shame or the feeling of failure, which prevents them from seeking help. By calling on those around them to make contact and start the conversation, we make loneliness discussable and visible - and take an important step towards connection.

On the campaign page young people will find references for practical tips, stories of others, as well as help if they feel lonely or have questions about their mental health. But there is also inspiration for friends, parents, colleagues or neighbors who want to use their voice.

Tisha van Lammeren, Chief Commercial Officer at Odido and ambassador of Join Us and MIND Us: “At Odido, we believe in true connection. Technology is great, but only valuable when it brings people closer together. This joint initiative shows how much of a difference you can make for young people who feel lonely - just with your voice.”

Technology for human connection 
Smartphones and the Internet offer numerous benefits but also bring challenges. Odido takes a  responsibility for this by supporting initiatives that encourage conscious and healthy phone use. Not only does the company work with Join Us and MIND Us, the provider also supports Join Us' Stronger Together event. Besides that, Odido launched Het Telefoonboekje (in collaboration with the CPNB) - the first reading book in smartphone form, designed to promote reading among schoolchildren and combat excessive screen use. Odido also introduced 'Screen Friday' in collaboration with NOC*NSF: an initiative that challenges young people under the motto 'sometimes not for a while' to go offline for two hours and get moving.  

* Eenzaamheid; persoonskenmerken | CBS 

* *  Bronnen: 

• A person’s mental state can therefore be inferred more accurately via speech than via text: Hall & Schmid Mast (2007); Kruger et al. (2005).
• Goede sociale interacties, gekenmerkt door verbondenheid, tevredenheid, authenticiteit, en interesse, zijn effectiever in het verminderen van eenzaamheid dan frequente maar oppervlakkige interacties: Reis et3 al. (2000); Nezlek et al. (2002);
• Interacties zijn betekenisvol als ze een emotionele, informatieve of tastbare impact hebben. Ook als er persoonlijke informatie, begrip, zorg en waardering wordt gedeeld voelen mensen zich minder eenzaam. Zonder deze impact bieden zelfs frequente interacties weinig verlichting van eenzaamheid: Litt et al. (2020); Wheeler et al. (1983); Kuczynski et al. (2021).