#findingMike

Okay, so this is my favourite campaign I've come across so far. 

A few weeks ago I remember scrolling through my Twitter feed and seeing a hopeful and heart-warming campaign ran by a man called Jonny Benjamin. 

The ambassador for Rethink Mental Illness started the campaign after a kind stranger stopped him from jumping from London's Waterloo Bridge in 2008. Benjamin was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and, given the disease's negative media coverage, felt suicide was the only option.

Benjamin was keen to be reunited with the man who saved his life that day eight years ago; not remembering his name or anything about him, he launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #findingMike.

The campaign was backed by the likes of Stephen Fry and Boy George and the hashtag trended on Twitter in the UK and as far afield as Canada, South Africa and Australia.

I was astonished to see the campaign worked: Jonny Benjamin was reunited by his stranger saviour, Neil Laybourn.  Benjamin said he didn't expect to succeed and the #findingMike campaign was motivated more by his desire to highlight the issues of mental health.

I particularly liked this campaign because it shows the impact social media has in today's society. It's fair to say that this campaign wouldn't have been as successful without social media's input. 

This campaign has a personal affect on me as unfortunately my Dad is a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder. It's good to see that there is more positive awareness of mental illness in the media today. It's this positive energy that saves people like Jonny Benjamin.

rethink.org
twitter.com/mrjonnybenjamin