HBO Max, the LPP Foundation and the ITAKA Foundation join forces to help young people in distress
The LPP Foundation consistently supports the mental health of young people. One of its initiatives, the Youth Helpline, accompanied the premiere of the latest HBO Original series, “Niebo. Rok w piekle” (Heaven. A Year in Hell), which deals with the problem of lost young people.
The mental health of children, adolescents and young adults has been one of the key areas of the LPP Foundation’s involvement for several years. In response to the growing scale of challenges faced by the younger generation, the Foundation is systematically developing projects that provide easily accessible and professional psychological support.
One of the most important is the Youth Helpline (22 484 88 04) – an initiative implemented by the ITAKA Foundation in cooperation with the Reserved brand and financed by the LPP Foundation. The project is aimed at children, teenagers and young adults up to the age of 25 who are experiencing emotional crisis, feelings of confusion, pressure or loneliness.
Ongoing support, concrete help
The Youth Helpline offers free contact with specialists – both in the form of telephone conversations and online consultations, including video consultations. It is a safe space where young people can be listened to, receive support and feel that they are not alone with their problems.
– Young people are increasingly struggling with difficult emotions, confusion and feelings of loneliness. Therefore, as the LPP Foundation, we have been consistently investing in projects that provide them with professional help and easy access to conversation for years. The Youth Helpline is one of the most important tools that supports them every day – emphasizes Patrycja Zbytniewska, president of the LPP Foundation.
Important social context
The Youth Helpline project accompanied the premiere of the HBO Original series “Niebo. Rok w piekle” (Heaven. A Year in Hell), which will debut on the HBO Max platform on 26 December. Inspired by Sebastian Keller’s book “Niebo. Pięć lat w sekcie” (Heaven. Five Years in a Cult), the production addresses the issues of young people’s confusion, their need for acceptance and the mechanisms of manipulation.
The story told in the series shows how susceptibility to influence and the search for meaning can lead to dangerous situations. It is an important voice in the discussion about the mental health of the younger generation and the need to build effective support systems.
– We believe that the HBO Max series can be an important step in drawing attention to the mental health problems of young people, and at the same time an effective way to popularise the Youth Helpline – a tool that genuinely supports their well-being every day. It is an impulse that helps draw attention to the problems of young people and, at the same time, directs them to places where they can receive concrete help – comments Patrycja Zbytniewska.
A cautionary tale
The protagonist of the series is Sebastian, a young man searching for meaning and acceptance who finds himself in a community led by a charismatic leader. Over time, the place that promised spiritual fulfilment turns out to be a structure based on control, violence and fanaticism. The story shows how thin the line between the need for belonging and the loss of autonomy can be.
The creators of the series draw attention to mechanisms that are still relevant today, especially in a world where young people often seek answers and support in various environments, including online.
Conversation matters
“Niebo. Rok w piekle.” reminds us of the need to respond attentively to signs of confusion and emotional crisis in young people and to build systems that offer concrete help.
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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central Europe. For 30 years, it has been successfully designing and selling the collections and accessories in Poland and abroad. LPP manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay, whose offer is available today in stationary and online stores in 46 markets worldwide. The company has a chain of over 3,400 stores with the total area of over 2.8 million m2 and distributes the products to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it provides employment to over 54 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.