Well Beings is a multiplatform, ongoing campaign from public media to address the critical health needs in America through original broadcast and digital content, engagement campaigns, and impactful local events. Well Beings was created by WETA Washington, D.C., the flagship public media station in the nation’s capital, and brings together partners from across the country, including youth, families, caregivers, educators, medical and mental health professionals, social service agencies, private foundations, filmmakers, corporations and media sponsors, to create awareness and resources for better health and well-being. The public can join the conversation by using #WellBeings or following @WellBeingsOrg on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or Threads.
You can also learn more below:
- Press & Media
Access the latest media coverage, press release archive, project information, and helpful links to other press resources.
- Get Involved
Support Well Beings and help spread the word! And stay up to date with Well Beings news, and shareable social media videos and graphics.
- Awards & Recognition
Since launching in 2020, Well Beings has received national and international awards for outstanding content and platform development.
About the Youth Mental Health Project
The Well Beings campaign debuted with the Youth Mental Health Project, which included a major public television film – Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness – executive produced by Ken Burns, as well as content from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, American Public Media, and more. The project also incorporated a 34-event Well Beings Tour in partnership with public media stations across the country (both in-person and virtual). Each event included a resource fair and information from local community organizations, art performances, and panel discussions with local youth and subject matter experts.
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The Youth Mental Health Project was a major public-media project focusing on mental health concerns that are often prevalent among young people. Through television, radio and digital content, and public media’s community-based network for public engagement — the Project helped to raise awareness about mental health challenges: addressing the stigma that often prevents people from seeking care, focusing on the experiences of individuals dealing with mental health conditions, and fostering ways for communities to support each other and encourage compassion.
The Well Beings National Tour
The Well Beings campaign included a nationwide Well Beings Tour in partnership with local public media stations to present impactful experiences that introduce audiences to mental health resources, strengthen local community connections, and destigmatize mental health challenges. The Tour featured moderated public discussions that shared information and volunteer opportunities with local and national organizations – helping to foster conversations about mental health through these live and virtual events.
Documentary Content
Longtime WETA production partner Ken Burns executive produced the major public television documentary, Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. The film, which premiered in 2022, explores how young people are addressing their mental health needs and examines the impact of mental health stigma and stress on today’s youth.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness has received several awards and accolades, including:
- Mental Health America Media Award: In 2022, the film was recognized for its efforts to educate, inform, and reduce stigma around mental illness and addiction.
- Digital Health Awards: In 2023, the film won a Gold Award in the Media / Publishing division.
- Telly Awards: In 2023, the film won a Bronze Award in the Television General-Fitness, Health category.
- Research!America’s ISADORE ROSENFELD AWARD FOR IMPACT ON PUBLIC OPINION: The film was recognized for its impact on public opinion.
A multi-part digital series, Out of the Dark, shares the stories of people whose lives have been touched and changed by mental health challenges, to help destigmatize mental health conditions. The WETA digital documentary, Our Turn to Talk, a character-driven verité film that premiered in 2022, also explores themes of youth mental health, substance abuse and mental illness stigma as high school students share their stories.
Learn more about upcoming Well Beings films & series.
About Remote Chance: Health Care in Rural America
Remote Chance: Health Care in Rural America is a public media documentary and digital series, accompanied by a national outreach, engagement, education, and social media campaign. The film will capture the voices of a geographically, ethnically, and economically diverse selection of rural residents and health care providers. Through their lived experiences and deeply moving personal narratives, the project will explore how social determinants of health like culture, the local economy, lack of infrastructure, and even the weather affect health outcomes across rural America. It will shine a light on vast areas of the US where access to even the most basic health care is a profound challenge, where people are feeling disregarded, ignored, and forgotten.
About The Caregiving Project
Caregiving is a new documentary and national engagement campaign on the state and stakes of providing care in America. In the U.S., more than 105.6 million people are caregivers million family caregivers are unpaid, providing 34 billion hours of care annually, amounting to an estimated $67 billion in personal lost earnings. As caregiving in America faces the twin pressures of an aging baby boomer generation and rising life expectancy, the United States’ long-term care system threatens to tip into crisis. The film will personalize this urgent national issue through stories from caregivers and interviews with experts as they fight to give caregivers the security and support they provide for so many others. The project also includes a robust national engagement campaign. Caregiving is currently in development and sponsored by Care.com.