'No matter how you feel inside you are not alone.’ This impactful strapline is the creative heartbeat of a powerful new campaign from Childline, created by The Gate.

‘Nobody is Normal’ is a beautiful piece of creative work, a stop motion animation, that conveys the vital message to children; that you are not alone and no matter how you feel inside, there is always someone you can talk to. In partnership with Blink Productions and Rowdy Films, The Gate have created a film which powerfully articulates the struggles that children can face; that can be all too difficult to express to those around them. 

The strength of this film comes from a stop-motion animation which uses the language of creativity to break the silence that often surrounds anxiety and mental health issues amongst young people. According to Childline, over the past few months counsellors have heard from children who are struggling with their body image, sexuality, gender identity and mental health. Issues, which according to the charity’s data, have spiked during the coronavirus lockdown.

The film follows the story of a strange, shadowy creature disguising itself as a seemingly ’normal’ teenager in order to fit in at school. Yet as the story progresses it is clear that almost everyone has been hiding something inside. 

Radiohead’s Creep provides the backdrop for the campaign, a familiar soundtrack for parents grappling with the pain that comes from a fresh generation of teens and young children who feel like they don’t fit in. A feeling of isolation which the current crisis is exacerbating. 

Grania Hyde-Smith, Marketing Lead at Childline explained: “At Childline, we often hear from young people who feel like they are different. This can be for a number of reasons including bullying, abuse and mental health issues but sometimes, young people just don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. The Gate have done a brilliant job of bringing this story to life in a captivating animation, which shows young people that we’re all different and there’s no such thing as ‘being normal’."

Lucas Peon, Chief Creative Officer at The Gate, added: “Working alongside Childline to help young people feel better in their own skin energised all of us at the agency, as well as our partners. It’s a campaign that speaks to children in a way that is natural to them. To walk through the usual walls these types of messages face, we needed an emotional story that intrigued people enough to pay attention and moved them enough to make them reflect and change their perspective.”

The campaign was created by John Osborne, Rickie Marsden and Sam Whatley, under Chief Creative Officer Lucas Peon at The Gate and was directed by Catherine Prowse at Rowdy. It’s a compelling example of the power of creative storytelling to bring words to feelings that if left unsaid amongst young people have the capability to have catastrophic consequences.