Folks, we gotta talk about something serious. Yes, we're known for being wild, or enjoy keeping things light hearted on aircraft carriers. But we also recognize the serious side of life in this great city. 

Mental health concerns, including thoughts of suicide, do happen amongst foreigners here in Shanghai. We're not immune to these things in this great city. But there are great resources for you or someone you care about that might need a serious talk,  without booze (which never helps) and annoying trap-house music drowning out the conversation. 

Many of you know Lifeline, a volunteer organization made up of amazing people from all over the world who run a helpline for the English-speaking community of China who needs to have a calming and serious talk about their mental wellbeing. We've written about them in our [How to] Be Happy in Shanghai opus,  and given them their own grand introduction. 

Besides running a helpline to help people who are having a hard time, feeling depressed or considering suicide, they also host a TON of community events, to raise awareness of their efforts, and of course to raise donations for a worthy cause. 

Now Lifeline is Getting More Techy

As they've grown over the years, especially in the offline space, they needed a tech solution where they could share easily all the events that they do in the community. Coming up in September alone, they have over 35 events planned with the "Better Together" campaign.

We're obliged to send a shout-out to Founder Audrey Gourdji of Ace Studio, Co-Founder Agnes Selvita of Paper Crane Tech, and recent graduates (Tina Shan, Matthew Wu, and Dylan Wang) from Le Wagon who all pitched in to build a calendar mini-program which Lifeline is now launching. Thanks guys & girls.

Here is a screenshot of the new Lifeline Events Mini-Program in all its grandiosity. Ooohh... nice...

So, it's a Mini-Program for ...Events?

Yes, but to understand why this is a big deal, this platform is going to centralize all Lifeline events that are happening in China. These folks are doing good alllll over, not just Shanghai. Here's a quick quote from Denish Vaughan, Lifeline's Community Outreach Manager to explain:

Since there are a lot of good humans in Shanghai, and no, we can't spend all of our time at Bar Rouge, or Specters, or Cages, (which, in all seriousness, Lifeline can also play an important role by supporting people through addictions and helping them take the next steps) then the extra bits of time we have, can be worthwhile volunteering and getting involved with Lifeline's noble mission. SmartShanghai backing 100%. 

They have a ton of events this month, something for everyone to get involved in, all for a good cause!

Special Thanks to these folks who volunteered time & resources to make this project happen: 

The Team