Hi Leah, these are all my questions (too). I think though the situation is that many people actually don't have any questions or issues except with the idea that people might feel the need to ask questions or be unhappy with what has happened. Certainly I don't know that there are any answers except some people in several different some-wheres thought a whole bunch of different things were a good idea and added together they make this end result.

I am not happy with it personally. But I have no answers outside of I think that on one side there is contracted stuff here with Creation as well as on the other a genuine desire to help by people who (in my opinion) picked the wrong theme.

I think there is a desire to help which has been presented badly . The recent video was misguided in particular but as I am not in the know I am not quite sure what the situation is with Creation.

I do freely admit however fans counselling other fans is not a idea I am comfortable with I think it has the potential to go wrong .

I think one of the problems is that we have been presented a campaign to help those that are suffering from mental health issues and that is about all we know about it. . It is a great idea. Many fans have shared their personal stories at conventions looking for some help or validation from the cast (one of whom is suffering from his own struggles with anxiety and depression). This is an attempt at helping those fans who need to be directed to trained mental health professionals.

Misha and Jensen have chosen to promote the campaign with a series of amusing videos of 1) Misha in a hoodie standing silently (and creepily) in Jensen's (?) kitchen and 2) stalking Jensen in a public bathroom. I get that they are trying to have some fun with it. But it seems to me that this is a serious subject that Jared handled very differently. Maybe it is just jarring after the very heartfelt videos that Jared posted sharing his raw emotions with fans that are suffering too. To have Jensen and Misha make light of their campaign seems a little insensitive by comparison.

The whole campaign got off to a rocky start by not including Jared or AKF in their promotion. They quickly tried to remedy that but so little information has come out about the logistics of the program. We are only left with the odd videos and that has derailed the message and caused unnecessary conflict among fans.

Hopefully they will come out with more information soon.

Hi ladies thanks for your input it is indeed a bit of a head scratcher. My admittedly uninformed feeling is that it was meant to be an offshoot of the AFK campaign. Jared has been the face of that one. Jensen has also been involved and supporting of AFK and all that entails. He has been in the background and supportive. Maybe he wanted to step forward with Misha and do something for the fans that are struggling. Perhaps with Jared more than willing to take a step back. Again I have no idea but that is how I'd like to think it initially came to be. The subsequent promotion? Different matter.

I have had my doubts about the new campaign as well. but I honestly thought it was because I lived in Australia and wasn't getting all the info that you guys in America was getting, so I let it go. I relate Misha to more light hearted fund raisers, where he can muck around joke and just enjoy himself, and by adding Jensen to the campaign it gave it more validity. But I am disappointed the videos look stalkerish, degrading and not in line with any mental health guidelines.
Who wants someone following them to the toilet !!!! Unless you are showing signs of possible self harm you wouldn't follow your friend to the toilet, so straight away that raises Red Flags, throw in a trip to Hawaii and the whole campaign has become a joke. I don't know how Jensen got himself caught up in this He has been right by Jared's side for 11 yrs and must know this is really wrong. I also agree that Jared may have taken a step back because of the way it is represented and also he may be busy on personnal projects at the moment. I know Jared has something planned for his AKF campaign for the 1yr anniversary. so his probably focused on that.
My other concern is I hope it hasn't caused a rift between Jared and Jensen, because Jared being a suffer of anixety and depression he MAY think this is a poke in the face from his bestest friend. Jared on a good day wouldn't think this, but depression can make you think all sorts of strange thoughts. I have lived with it for 20yrs and do speak from MY experience. (Were all different). As you said
the concept started out perfectly lets help are family with mental illness, but thats not the problem. There is many, many helpful organizations everywhere that can help with these issuses, The problem is that the people have in there own way focused their problems toward a great show Supernatural and its 2 Gorgeous, loving, trusting, helpful lead actors in a way that is a illness in itself. Again this is my opinion and this is how I feel I love both J & J but at times I know it is a unhealthy connection. Yes when I'm down when I need a boost I watch SPN and in particular J & J and yes I feel good afterwood but its like a drug and when we have hellatius its like withdrawal syptoms, its horrendus, I can't go a day without seeing something on J & J or watching a episode.
I have just reread my post and relized that the first time since joining you girls and SPN that I have totally openned up and been honest. I hope you can understand how possibly other depressive people feel about the Boys and how I can't see this new campaign working. With AKF it was the words "Keep Fighting" Jared was raising funds for many Mental Health programs that is what a campaign was about supporting what resources are already there and awarness. I feel Misha and maybe Jensen had the right idea, but instead of starting something from scratch and referenceing it as a support group for the mentally unwell SPN family They should have raised funds for a already existing organization and asking said proffesional organization if they could have a section or area for the SPN family so that would have made it somewhat more personnal. I havn't and will not support this folly but will always support AKF. All that I have said here is my personnal thoughts on the campaign and my personnal experience with depression, as I said we are all different, and I could be way of base. If you read this very, very long winded reply Thank you. Jen xxoo

Yes I meant to mention about the conventions but I thought I said enough. I actually cringe when people talk about their private issues over the mic. at the cons. And yes PLEASE take the pressure of the Boys. And since we have little details we are not sure how it works. If it is outside the Conventions how is it going to help, the fans will still want to go to the Conventions and say how Thank full they are and possibly YANA may make it worse. Maybe they should have a queit & private place tucked away at the Conventions. I think what would I do. I would want to Thank them & tell them everything as well. But then sitting here away from the excitment and euphoria of seeing both the J's and the SPN Family I wouldn't, as said so many times that is not what The Boys are their for. I think this has happened because the Boys have opened up to the fandom or Famfamily
I work in Community Age Care in a elderly persons home, 1 - 2 times a wk for up to 4hrs. Are first rule is be polite and pleasent but don't get involved. When I first started I used to laugh at that statement. But over the yrs I have found that that fine line or balance is very important. I have been burnt more than once by becoming a "Friend" to my clients, once that lines crossed you have to fore go that client because their is no going back. I think the Boys in all their goodness and their need to say Thank you have thus crossed the line. I hope for them they can fix it Without having to loose their fanfamily
Anyway what I say and our thoughts may totally change once we understand the full idea of this new project. Good luck to YANA but now this minute if they stay seperate from AKF I will be giving my full support to Jared and his many charaities.
And I hope that some how as you mentioned it was a contractual thing between Creation and Jensen & maybe Misha got caught up in a whirlwind of good ideas with good intentions and some how got lost along the way. Because I don't want to lose my Love & respect for either actor

Jen wrote:

Yes I meant to mention about the conventions but I thought I said enough. I actually cringe when people talk about their private issues over the mic. at the cons.

I didn't want to say anything earlier incase in came off as insensitive. But I'm tired of people speaking in length about their issues to the boys. Its great that AKF or something has helped but at the same time its selfish as it takes time away from other people.

Leah, I already shared my perspective on this an eilf's Con thread so I won't repeat what I said there. But as many of you have noted, if the (very laudable) goal of YANA is to address the Con situation of the very emotional fans unloading on the actors, there has to be a better way of addressing it than this. The "fans as counselors" idea seems like a potential minefield, although it would be great if it could work. Maybe they should spend the YANA money on having actual counselors and mental health professionals present at each Con, in a room or location where fans could seek them out. Those fans with mental health issues would also have the opportunity to connect there with fans who are struggling with similar issues, like a support group. Then Creation could promote this as a way to avoid putting the actors in the painful and untenable position of having to act as counselors during their panels. There would still be potential pitfalls, like liability issues, that they would have to anticipate and guard against. Just a thought about how this campaign might actually be beneficial to the fans and the actors. . I had told some friends that I am very uncomfortable with the creepy vids promoting the campaign. I don't know how Misha promotes his other charitable efforts, but I doubt that when he's fund raising for housing for Haitians he utilizes vids with a humorous take on the issue of homelessness. Humor is no more appropriate in these vids trying to raise awareness of and assistance for those suffering from mental illness. At least not the humor that they're trying to inject with these vids. It all comes down to what Jared is trying to do with his campaigns: demonstrate that mental illness is like cancer or any other disease, it's nothing to be ashamed of. But these vids make light of it, which has exactly the opposite effect of what Jared is trying to do. I know that Misha and Jensen are only trying to help, and maybe they think that humor will make people feel better about their struggles, so I don't think what they're doing is mean spirited. It is, however, incredibly clueless and tone deaf. My mom was bipolar, and when she was experiencing really dark times, the absolute LAST thing she was in the mood for was joking around and having her struggles made light of. In fact, she found it very upsetting. So I hope that J and M quickly switch tactics. And Jen, thanks for sharing your personal perspective on this.

Hi Yellow Eyed Sam and SamanDean, thanks for your posts. I know there is the "Well they paid their money so why shouldn't they get to say what they want?" school of thought but I don't subscribe to that. As long as it's show related or actor related I have no problems but emotional breakdowns are unfair to people who may miss their chance to ask a question. This can be done on the facebook pages of the actor. It is very awkward. I also cringe and usually FF any video I am watching to get past that. It's not that I don't have sympathy for people who have mental issues ( I have some of my own ) but I am just jaded enough to believe some of these meltdowns are manipulative attempts to get hugs. Creation hasn't been able to curtail it.

I can't speak on the videos because a) I haven't seen them and b) I know Misha has a very offbeat sense of humor that doesn't translate well with some fans.

This is what I know about these campaigns. The actors are very busy people. They tend not to be the people who organize such things. They lend their name to help support a cause. The campaign t-shirts has been a huge thing lately in multiple fandoms. It's quick and easy for the celebrity, it raises awareness, and it gives the studios some damn good PR. It's supposed to be a win for everybody, but unfortunately some ideas end up being not well executed. It happens, but the intent is usually not bad.

These campaigns are going at a furious pace right now because they're hot. They have to keep the interest up for the causes (and the show). Why wasn't Jared involved in this one? Because he's too damned busy right now. Filming two shows, one of them as the lead actor? Commuting to Austin? Doing a crap load of cons? That's all nuts. I'm sure he's making sure he doesn't overdo it, having driven himself to exhaustion once already.

Misha usually has a lot more free time on his hands. I'm sure he decided to use his film making skills to help with the campaign this time. Jensen's in because he hasn't been part of this awareness for mental health yet. I'm sure he's doing the minimum for it. When I interviewed Stephen Amell at Comic Con, someone asked him about the next "Fuck Cancer" campaign. He said a new one was coming, it just hinged on his availability. That's how I think these things happen, availability.

If fans want to read more into this than what's there, fine. But from what I've seen, these are rather simple campaigns that can be thrown together with little thought.