To help teenagers facing psychological problems, use modern communications: for example, support special projects focused on e-sports. All this and much more is dedicated to the newly created fund, which builds on the exceptionally strong legacy of Karel “Twisten” Aschenbrener.a talented eSports player who took his own life in June of this year after battling depression.
The Karl family behind the creation of the charitable foundation donated the main fortune. The French esports team Vitality, in which Twisten successfully worked, will also contribute. Significant financial support will be provided by Sazka, which will organize a charity esports tournament on December 15, 2023 to mark the creation of the fund.
Karel Aschenbrener, known in the esports community as Twisten, would have celebrated his twentieth birthday a few days ago. But he eventually lost his battle with depression. “Carl’s passing is still very painful for the whole family. But it is because of him that we decided to turn the pain into something meaningful. This is a charitable foundation whose purpose will be to help young people with psychological problems. I’m sure my son will agree and support this.” says Twisten’s mother Ivan Ashenbrenerova, also for her husband and two other sons.
The foundation wants to help teenagers who find themselves in the same situation as Karel Aschenbrener. “I think the key is to increase mental literacy, at the same time it is necessary to work on destigmatizing psychological problems, because especially young guys do not talk about their emotions or problems and do not want to talk,” Ashenbrenerova explains the focus of the fund.
Research from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that The psychological state of young people is alarming. One in three nine-year-old children in the Czech Republic shows signs of moderate to severe anxiety. In addition, four in ten show signs of moderate to severe depression. According to the Czech Statistical Office, 1,302 people committed suicide in the Czech Republic in 2022. This statistic is growing fastest among young people. Suicide currently accounts for a quarter of all deaths in the 15 to 24 age group. At the same time, psychological help is often expensive, and there is a long-term shortage of child psychologists.
It is in the gaming and e-sports community, in which Karel Aschenbrener succeeded, that more and more young people are moving. He already has millions of fans around the world. One of the companies that decided to support the Twisten Foundation is the Czech Sazka. She has been involved in esports for a long time and is organizing a charity esports tournament, Sazka No Rivals, on December 15, the proceeds of which will be donated to a newly created foundation.
“Although mental health is a social issue, it has long been an under-appreciated topic in esports and the discussion around it is still in its infancy. Therefore, this is one of the topics that we want to systematically address as part of our work in esports. The creation of the Twisten Foundation could lead to fundamental and much-needed change. We have great respect for the Aschenbrener family’s decision to start this project and we are very happy to support it.” comments Petr Jonak, Director of External Relations and Sustainable Development at Sazka, adding: “During the tournament “Sazka has no rivals” we will donate a charity fundraiser. After the tournament, Sazka doubles his earnings. We are ready to donate up to a million crowns to the Twisten Foundation.”
Simultaneously with the Twisten Foundation, a special project is being launched by the French organization Vitality, where Karel Aschenbrener worked on the game Valorant. The project, called KARE (a combination of the name Karel and the English word care, which means care), will also focus on the mental health of esports athletes. He plans to work closely with the Twisten Foundation and wants to maintain it in the long term.
Source :Indian TV
