Reality Check Guide

Assets designed for 18 to 25 year-olds

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Spread the word about how to build and maintain real-life connections.

Because their health and happiness depend on it.

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Connecting in person is amazing, but sometimes it's hard to find the time and energy. Future Healthy Vic’s #RealityCheck has done the hard work for you - serving ideas to bring us back together. Think arts, sport, cooking or gardening. Pick what you love and connect with others who feel the same way. It's all about striking that perfect balance between online and offline activities. Give it a shot - https://bit.ly/43dRXn0

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Headline: Reality Check: It’s time to disconnect to reconnect. 

Body: We know connecting in person makes us happy but, it can be tricky to find the time or the energy to make it happen. Life sort of gets in the way. There’s a lot to love about always being able to connect with our friends online. Yet we often find ourselves feeling more disconnected than ever. Like everything in life, it’s all about balance. Whether it be arts, sport, cooking or gardening, there are so many ways you can connect meaningfully with others. 

Call to action: For ideas, head to https://bit.ly/3PGtwLL

1. It's not useful to shame the use of social media - social media and online activity is an important tool for young people to form new connections and maintain existing ones. So simply telling young Victorians to “get off their phones and get outside” won’t resonate with them.  
2. Offer free or low-cost activities - lack of time, energy and money are the most common barriers holding young Victorians back from engaging in their desired activities. So where possible, let’s make it easy and affordable for young people to connect by offering free and low-cost activities near them.  
3. Normalise that feelings of nervousness are okay - half of young Victorians feel anxious about social events. If young people knew that actually a lot of their peers share their hesitation about socialising, it might actually help them feel better about their own feelings and remove some of the pressure they feel.   
4. Encourage story sharing – Being social is a skill that anyone can develop and requires some effort. Sharing success stories about the fact that those who have a lot of connections, have had to work to create and maintain those connections might help others. You could also share stories from young people who participate in your activities asking them why they keep coming back, highlighting the felt benefits. 
5. Social media channels are important - Young Victorians are avid users of TikTok and Instagram, but it’s important to understand some of the nuances of social media for targeted messages. Try TikTok and Instagram for general messages and YouTube specifically for young males. Snapchat is effective for targeting young regional Victorians but YouTube and WhatsApp are popular for young CALD audiences.

Digital devices

Sometimes get in the way and become time consuming.

• 2 in 3 (66%) said they want to limit their time on social media
• but at the same time, more than half (56%) agreed that social media can help build meaningful connections.  

A lot's going on 

Like study and full-time work, which can make it more difficult to create in-person, meaningful connections.

• more than half (56%) don’t find it easy to make new connections
• and almost half (47%) said it wasn’t easy to find in-person activities or groups they’re interested in. 

Barriers 

Some things getting in the way of trying new activities: 

• not enough time (58%)
• not enough energy (47%)
• not enough money (45%).