Amazon Ads and Twitch team up with Movember to connect gamers with free mental health support
Amazon Ads Twitch Brand Partnership Studio brings together Movember, Minds Support Network and GamerCounsel to launch Squad Support, a free gaming-based mental health initiative for young men.
The campaign introduces "U GUD?", a new way for gamers to check in on one another, inspired by the familiar gaming
phrase "Git Gud."
Four Australian Twitch creators, including Bajo, Crayator, Jack Buzza and Midbeast, bring the campaign to life through interactive livestreams.
SYDNEY, 9 November 2026 – Amazon Ads Twitch Brand Partnership Studio has collaborated with Movember, Minds Support Network and GamerCounsel to launch Squad Support, a free initiative that brings together gaming and mental health support, with trained counsellors and support practitioners from Minds Support Network and GamerCounsel connecting with participants through group or one to one gaming sessions.
Developed by the Twitch Brand Partnership Studio, Amazon Ads' creative team building brand activations natively for Twitch's live, interactive community, the program draws on the insight that young men often connect more naturally through shared activities. Research shows that nearly half (47%) of Australian male gamers aged 18-34 have made friends through video games1. At the same time, Mission Australia’s 2025 Youth Survey found that over one third (38.1%) of young respondents experience loneliness at least some of the time2.
Four Australian Twitch creators, Bajo, Crayator, Jack Buzza and Midbeast, introduce the program to their communities through livestreams and across their social ecosystem, encouraging conversations about men's mental health.
Turning Gaming Into a Space for Connection and Support
The initiative gives participants an opportunity to connect with others while accessing support from trained professionals, without having to navigate a traditional counselling setting.
Throughout November, participants can sign up to free sessions at squadsupport.gg, with 500 participant hours of support allocated to the initiative, including dedicated time for triage and safeguarding capacity. Participants will get matched with a trained counsellor or support practitioner, and choose to play one-on-one or with two others in a group. They will connect through Discord, an online platform that allows people to communicate via voice, video and text while gaming, for a private session where they can share experiences, access support, or simply enjoy playing together. While Squad Support is launched in collaboration with Movember to shine a light on young men's mental health, the sessions with a qualified therapist are open to anyone in the gaming community who would benefit from support.
The campaign also introduces "U GUD?", a positive reinterpretation of gaming's familiar "Git Gud" phrase, encouraging players to check in on one another and reclaiming the 'Git Gud' put-down as a message of care. The message will be amplified on Twitch across each creator’s social ecosystem, encouraging young men to check on their mates as part of everyday gaming culture.
Willie Pang, Managing Director, Amazon Ads ANZ said: “Gen Z and young millennials are connecting through gaming, and Squad Support meets them where they are. Our first collaboration with Movember brings together a shared ambition to reach young people through the communities and experiences they already value. By combining Twitch creators, engaged communities and interactive experiences, Amazon Ads, through Twitch’s Brand Partnership Studio, is demonstrating how brands can go beyond traditional advertising to show up in culture and build meaningful connections with audiences that are notoriously difficult to reach and engage.”
Bringing Squad Support to Life Through Twitch Creators
The campaign's creator livestreams began in October with Bajo, Crayator and Jack Buzza, with the final session taking place tonight (Monday 9 November, 6pm-8pm AEDT) with Midbeast, showcasing Squad Support through League of Legends.
Beyond the livestreams, the campaign will extend across Twitch through a custom "U GUD?" channel emote, allowing viewers to show their support in chat, alongside interactive polls and Twitch's Stream Together feature, which enables creators to host Movember experts during livestreams. A charity fundraising tool will also encourage viewers to support Movember, while social content from each creator will help embed "U GUD?" into everyday gaming conversations.
Gemma Battenbough, Head of Twitch Brand Partnership Studio, said: "What makes Twitch special is the authentic connection between creators and their communities, where audiences chat and connect in real time. Most Australian Twitch viewers are young men aged 16-34 - 75% in that age bracket, 73% male - and exactly the group mental health campaigns often struggle to reach. Squad Support meets them in a space where they're already spending time with friends, building on that sense of community to make support more accessible. It's a simple check-in to carry beyond Movember: U GUD?"
Supporting Conversations Beyond Movember
Squad Support aims to encourage young men to build meaningful connections and feel more comfortable accessing mental health support through shared interests and activities. Beyond November and the free sessions, gamers will be able to use Minds Support Network normal services.
Dylan Poulus, Global Lead, Esports & Gaming, Movember, said: "Reaching young men with mental health support starts with meeting them where they feel comfortable. Gaming is already an important space for connection, and Squad Support builds on this by bringing trained professionals into an activity young men enjoy. Through this initiative, we're helping make conversations about mental health feel more natural, while encouraging gamers to look out for one another. Sometimes a simple 'U GUD?' can be the start of a meaningful conversation."
Squad Support sessions will be available free of charge throughout November, subject to availability. Places are limited, and registration does not guarantee participation. To learn more or express interest in participating, visit https://squadsupport.gg
Squad Support is not a crisis service. Anyone requiring immediate assistance should call 000 or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
-ENDS-
About Amazon Ads
Amazon Ads offers full-funnel advertising solutions to help businesses of all sizes achieve their marketing goals at scale. Amazon Ads connects advertisers to highly relevant audiences through first-party insights; extensive reach across premium content like Prime Video, Twitch, and third-party publishers; the ability to connect and directly measure campaign tactics across awareness, consideration, and conversion; and generative AI to deliver appropriate creative at each step. For more information, please visit https://advertising.amazon.com/
About Twitch Brand Partnership Studio
Twitch Brand Partnership Studio is a full-service creative team within Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab that creates custom, authentic advertising campaigns on Twitch: one of the world's most engaging livestream sites. Since 2020, BPS has executed over 3,500 campaign streams with over 2,300 creators globally, offering end-to-end capabilities from creative strategy to production and influencer management.
About Movember
Twenty-three years ago, a bristly idea was born in Melbourne, Australia, igniting a movement that would transcend borders and change the face of men’s health forever. The movement, known as Movember, united people from all walks of life – sparking billions of important conversations, raising vital funds, and shattering the silence surrounding men’s health issues.
Since 2003, this trailblazing charity has challenged the status quo by reshaping men’s health research and transforming the way that health services reach and support men. Powered by a global community of supporters, Movember has raised almost $AUD 2 billion, fuelling over 1,320 men’s health projects from groundbreaking biomedical research to major global prostate cancer registries. Since expanding into mental health and suicide prevention in 2006, Movember has advocated for earlier recognition of men’s mental health challenges and improved clinical responses for men in distress. By empowering men and those around them to act sooner, Movember is helping more men recognise the signs and take action before hitting crisis point.
Movember is committed to redefining the future of men’s health by investing in breakthrough research, encouraging healthier behaviours, and championing gender-responsive healthcare that properly addresses the unique needs of all men. By tackling stigma and barriers to support, Movember is working to create a world where all people can live longer, healthier lives. Because better men’s health means stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger society.
To learn more, please visit Movember.com.
About Minds Support Network
Minds Support Network is a national NDIS-registered allied health provider based in South Australia. Its registered and accredited practitioners, including counsellors, art therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists, deliver therapy online to children, young people and adults across Australia. Using telehealth and interactive digital environments, including video games, Minds Support Network reaches people who find traditional clinical settings hard to access. It is the clinical delivery provider for Squad Support. Learn more at mindssupportnetwork.com
About GamerCounsel
GamerCounsel is a South Australian-based global online counselling platform that delivers therapy through interactive gaming environments. Its credentialed therapists meet clients inside the games they already play, connecting by voice or text in private sessions, so support feels familiar. GamerCounsel works with children, young people and adults. A sister company of Minds Support Network, GamerCounsel runs participant registration for Squad Support. Learn more at gamercounsel.com