In January 2021, Tech BBQ Project Lead Harry Justus reached out to MMW Founder & Executive Director Subhi Irshed to start a collaboration by inviting MMW to deliver a keynote on mental health at the biggest Nordic Startup Event: TechBBQ.
This was exciting for all different reasons but to mention two:
This demonstrated that MMW is well-acknowledged when it comes to the mental health startup scene in Denmark
It was a great opportunity to walk to the talk and do our part in delivering MMW’s mission of
increasing mental health awareness
bringing relevant mental wellbeing tools to younger employees in the workplaces
Brief introduction to TechBBQ & MMW
TechBBQ’s purpose is to support and strengthen the Nordic startup-ecosystem. They build communities and foster growth for startups and scaleups based on the Nordic values of overcoming egos, barriers and promoting openness, trust and inclusion. Millennial Mental Wellbeing (MMW) is a for-impact startup with a mission to bring mental wellbeing tools and programs to workplaces. With a vision of ensuring that younger generations like millennials have access to relevant mental health tools and services when needed. MMW is run by 22 professional volunteers from all over the globe.
Mental health and myth busting - Who is responsible for our mental health?
MMW’s TechBBQ keynote had two main purposes. First purpose was centered around young employees (i.e. Millennials and Gen Z) who are looking to understand why they feel alone trying to balance their mental health challenges (e.g. stress, anxiety, sleep etc). We tapped into the question of why these generations are the most lonely, burnout and depressed. This also included the insights into why they are the right generation to tackle this challenge. Second purpose was focusing on HR professionals and managers of young employees who are looking to understand why Millennials and Gen Z prioritize mental health differently than previous generations. We also shared our insights on what is the way forward in workplaces when it comes to mental health. This included our own developed strategy for workplaces to drive effective change and implementation of mental health tool in the workplace.
Full house, full engagement: 100 in-person and virtual participants
Getting into the TechBBQ event, our presenters Özge Hatipoglu and Subhi Irshed did not hide the fact that they were excited and a little bit pressured to say the least. They had many questions. Would people show up? Would they resonate with the content? Would it make the desired impact on them?
Özge and Subhi shared the following with us: “We were nervous, a healthy dose if we can say that. It was mega exciting to see the chairs filled up by participants and some attending the keynote standing. Seeing how engaged they were with our content and seeing the interest on their faces… They were taking pictures of the slides, laughing at the light-hearted moments of the keynote. The cherry on the top was the Q&A session. Many of them asked intriguing and engaging questions. Their engagement left us with the reinforced impression that MMW’s mission makes an impact that can be experienced by younger generations and observed and empathized by the previous generations.”
Social Media reactions from attendees
Özge and Subhi were reassured the keynote resonated with the attendees when, post-event, many of them shared their positive experiences and advocated for MMW on LinkedIn.
Gratitude, what's next, and your role
All in all, we are very grateful to witness our hard work and mission resonating with many of you. Millennials, Gen Z, and previous generations who attended the session demonstrated their empathy toward the mental health challenges younger generations face due to the connected world and the pandemic.
If this blog sparked your curiosity and you would like to access the recorded keynote, reach out to us and keep an eye on our socials. We have many other exciting projects coming your way soon that will enable you to play your part to advocate for mental health.