In March of 2020, our city shut down.
New York, NYA city that thrives on noise, movement, and social connection suddenly became silent.
We launched 24helps on March 18, 2020 — week one of the COVID-19 lockdown — as a simple webpage where people could log in, get together, talk their shit, and process everything that was going on (with mental health professionals guiding the conversations).
What started as weekly virtual gatherings quickly became more than just group therapy. Every week, we checked in, vented, laughed, cried, and reminded each other we weren’t alone. It started with friends and family, but by June 2020, we were hosting a 900-person mental health event for NYU.
Each event got bigger than the last. What began as a side project to protect our own sanity and support our fellow New Yorkers turned into something much bigger: a community rooted in connection, empathy, and purpose.
Today, mental health is at the core of everything we do. It’s in our DNA.
We’ve worked with partners like Ducati to design mental health-focused experiences — like a city-wide motorcycle scavenger hunt that challenged riders to stay present and locked in, a nontraditional but powerful form of meditation.
Our mission is simple: to remind people that mental health matters. And through the experiences we create, we aim to connect people in ways that feel honest, human, and healing.
Best,
Mishka + Nikhil