Super CJ, an animated series that seeks to bring awareness to the critical mental health crisis Black children face, has been launched on YouTube. It features a Black superhero, Super CJ, and his sarcastically funny sidekick, Rex the super dog.
The series already has over 450,000 views on YouTube, according to Black News, showing that it is one of the fastest-growing animated series whose message is resonating with audiences all over the world.
“We are proud to introduce Super CJ and his mission to promote children’s mental health. With the animated series and the Children’s Mental Health 365 campaign, we aim to encourage open conversations about mental health, provide support to children and families, and ultimately make a positive impact on the lives of children around the world,” Yaba Baker, the creator of the series and the founder of Just Like Me World, said.
Baker’s own issues with mental health and anger management inspired him to create Super CJ and the campaign. In the series, Super CJ’s character has a special flaw in his superpowers: he loses them when he gets angry but can regain them by calming down.
Each episode aims to emphasize the significance of emotional well-being and self-regulation, showing children that there is nothing wrong with experiencing a range of emotions.
Super CJ Children’s Mental Health 365, which was launched in September, is a revolutionary campaign that is being led by Super CJ himself. According to the AAMC, Black children, ages 5 to 12, are now twice as likely to die by suicide as their white counterparts, and Black teen suicide rates have increased by 78%.
The campaign intends to raise awareness of the mental health crisis facing Black children today. It will cover a wide range of programs created to deal with various aspects of children’s mental health. A monthly newsletter with educational resources, online forums, social media campaigns, and partnerships with mental health professionals, educators, and child advocates will also be part of the campaign.
Through these initiatives, the campaign hopes to create an environment that promotes children’s mental health every day of the year. Earlier this year, as part of the show’s creators’ initiative to promote mental health, the new Super CJ animated series launched a drawing competition with three $500 prizes to help raise awareness for children’s mental health, according to a press release.