988 Day Ideas

Ideas:

• Add a 988 Day banner to your profile and encourage others to do the same
• Create and share 988 Day stickers and social media headers/banners/covers
• Publish a countdown to 988 Day tagging #988Day
• Promote 988 Day and SAMHSA Instagram and other social media posts on your account(s) along with #988Day
• Expand postings to social media and gaming platforms you don’t usually use: LinkedIn, Next-door, Instagram, TikTok, Discord, Reddit, Twitch, etc.

Ideas:

• Create or share a video simulation to show what calling or chatting 988 looks like
• Create a "Did You Know?" series with information about 988
• Hold a 988 Day Trivia Game (online or in person) to address 988 FAQs
• Encourage community leaders to facilitate mental health discussions with constituents leading up to 988 Day, sharing facts and resources about 988 while promoting open conversations about mental health and seeking help

Ideas:

• Ask government officials and organizational partners to promote 988 Day leading up to the date
• Encourage individuals to share 988 Day posts on personal accounts
• Ask community partners to promote 988 Day through radio/TV/newspaper announcements and PSAs
• Repost 988 Day messaging and the hashtag (#988Day) to specific audiences and channels, e.g., “to all my military brothers and sisters"
• Encourage people who work on Sunday to add 988 Day info to their email signatures for the day

Ideas:

• Host 988 Day suicide prevention walks or memory walks
• Hold 988-themed scavenger hunts, chalk walks, and mindfulness walks
• Put together Zumba, or yoga classes with mental health themes and feature 988
• Host moments of silence or awareness events at work, school, faith communities, or radio stations
• Organize open mic nights or host a 988-themed party
• Host community whiteboard events ("I’m glad I’m here for…")
• Host art contests, coffee sleeve campaigns, or sticker design contests with 988: No Judgment. Just Help.
• Paint rocks with 988 and leave them around the community
• Hold games or booths promoting 988 at non-mental health events (e.g., fairs, tailgates, marathons or local fairs)

Ideas:

• Partner with local parks for 988 signage and events
• Engage sports teams (professional, local, university) about promoting 988
• Work with local government for proclamations or public announcements for 988 Day
• Partner with gun retailers to engage firearms owners and promote 988
• Engage local businesses by dropping off 988 materials and setting up materials at public places (bathroom stalls, bridges)
• Promote 988 at major events like NASCAR races, concerts, or farmers' markets
• Work with local pharmacies to add 988 information to their materials (pill bottle sticker, flyers in shopping bags)

Ideas:

• Run a 988-themed contest for students to create posters, videos, or social media content to promote 988 Day and the theme ‘No Judgment. Just Help’. Winners could be announced the Friday before 988 Day. Examples: A logo design competition, or TikTok dance challenges promoting mental health awareness
• Engage students ahead of 988 Day in making 988 bracelets (like the Taylor Swift friendship bracelets) with materials to promote awareness among peers
• Encourage students and staff to wear specific colors (e.g., teal and purple) on 9/8 in support of 988 Day, helping to spread awareness and unity across the school/religious school community
• Engage students and teachers in using chalk to decorate school hallways with messages promoting 988 Day, 988 logos, and as the theme "No Judgment, Just Help."

Ideas:

• Coordinate with your community’s faith leaders to share 988 resources and information during services the weekend of 9/8
• Set up information tables after Sunday faith services offering resources and discussions about mental health and 988
• Host a 988 Day event at your place of worship
• Faith-based resources in the 988 Day Partner Toolkit

Ideas:

• Place 988 Day stickers on Narcan boxes, school buses, or public transportation
• Set up 988 Day billboards or public signage on bridges, subway walls, or other high-traffic areas
• Light up buildings, bridges, or other landmarks in teal and purple for 988 Day
• Work with bars/breweries to use 988-branded coasters and napkins
• Work with local artists to create murals or creative public displays
• Use movie previews, local paper ads, and bus campaigns to promote 988
• Ask a skywriting airplane to promote 988 Day
• Create a human formation of "988" on 9/8
• Try to break a Guinness World Record with a 988 Day-related activity (chalk pavement art, holding hands, etc.)