Stream for Shout: Suzanne's story
Suzanne is a charity streamer on Twitch. After being introduced to Shout, she was drawn to the accessibility of the support available and was confident her community could make a difference through fundraising and raising awareness. In November, Suzanne held a week-long streaming event and raised an incredible £900 for the service.
In her own words, “I was really struggling to find a charity that resonated with me and that I believed would resonate with my community. [...] I really wanted it to make an impact on people’s lives”
Suzanne shared more about her fundraising experience and story:
What motivated you to fundraise for Shout?
I consider myself a charity streamer on Twitch. I was really struggling to find a charity that resonated with me and that I believed would resonate with my community. There is no denying times are hard out there for everyone, so when asking my community to give, I really wanted it to make an impact on people’s lives.
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I know how hard going to see someone can be, even the act of picking up the phone and talking out loud about our mental health can feel impossible. But somehow texting seems simpler, more accessible and certainly less anxiety-inducing.
I felt we could really make a difference in raising crucial awareness and helping let people know that such a fantastic service is available to them. My catchphrase is that ‘raising awareness is as important as raising money’ so I loved that we would be able to make an impact in both areas.
Do you find charity streaming beneficial for your own mental health?
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It can’t be denied that it feels good to do good, going to bed at night knowing you’ve made a difference for someone out there can really help put life into perspective.
I find that when streaming for a charity, I can remove the pressure from myself, as for that time the charity becomes the star of the show. My community rally round to support amazing causes and enjoy the fun atmosphere.
I find it a lot easier to be silly, to make a fool of myself and to put myself in unusual situations (TikTok dancing and horror games come to mind) as I am motivated by the cause and not simply ‘for the content’.
What were your highlights?
Obviously we had some pretty big donations and receiving a single £150 donation was a big moment for me, as well as when we hit the first £250. I knew that meant Shout would be able to train another person to provide mental health support and that was a really cool thing to be able to say!
This week was an absolute blast from start to finish. I’ve tried really hard to sum up the week a couple of times and I struggle because my community just smashes it in ways I never imagined, and I spent most of the week being simply humbled to know them!
What would be one piece of advice for other streamers looking to hold a charity stream?
Pick a charity you believe in, or have a connection with! You don’t have to have used them yourself, but you have to have enough enthusiasm and passion about the cause to be able to inspire others.
If you’d like to hold your own charity stream, set one up here and join our community Discord for more information.
