The Lucy Rayner Foundation has partnered with Snapchat to launch a new lens which is designed to empower young people to use their voices.

The Lucy Rayner Foundation, the mental health charity based in Surrey, is focused on awareness and supporting young adults. The collaboration with Snapchat is designed to open up new conversations to encourage young people to express their emotions.

The partnership, which kicked off at the end of January, comes at a time when mental health is at the top of the agenda. With the impact of social media on young people’s mental health under scrutiny, this technology is designed to support as many 14 to 25-year-olds as possible within Surrey.

The bespoke Snapchat lens seeks to leverage the power of creative technology to encourage self-expression and enables its users to reach out for support to a trusted friend or family when needed.

The lens gives a voice to young people by providing an easy way for its users to write a message and reach out for support in a direct, safe and confidential manner which could provide life-changing support for someone in need.

Jenny Rayner, CEO of the Lucy Rayner Foundation, said: “By harnessing Snapchat’s platform, we can empower young people to express their feelings and ask for help from those who they trust. Being able to do this on a platform where they’re already connecting with their friends and family, makes it easier to break down barriers and encourage conversations around mental health.”

She continued: "We hope that this lens could be used as a self-help tool to give a voice to young people.Too many young people are feeling isolated. By using our lens, they can easily reach out and ask for what they need without having to worry about what to write or plucking up the courage to verbally express their concerns. Our aim is to take the stress and anxiety away from asking for help."

Ronan Harris, President of Snap EMEA, added: “We’re delighted that The Lucy Rayner Foundation chose Snapchat for this important campaign. Snapchat is the most popular messaging platform for young people and they tell us it’s where they are happiest online. That’s because they use Snapchat to connect with their closest friends, where they can be themselves and share their everyday moments, without the pressure to be perfect. In this environment, they should feel even more comfortable reaching out for help and the Snapchat AR lens makes it even easier for them to do so.”

The partnership underlines that in an era of mounting anxiety amongst parents over the impact of social media on their children's mental health, there is an opportunity for brands to step up and become part of the solution.