Safehaven and The Local Collective Uncover the Quiet Honesty of Being Seen

For generations, children have been taught a simple rule: don’t stare. Intended to lessen the likelihood of making others feel self-conscious or uncomfortable, this long-standing instruction has been passed down for generations. But for kids with medical complexities, that lesson – though well-intentioned – has often led to something more damaging: invisibility.

In their latest campaign for charity partner Safehaven Toronto, The Local Collective flips that idea on its head, asking Canadians to look closer, not away. Centred around a film where children share which superpower they’d choose, the work takes a familiar, playful question and transforms it into a powerful reminder that, actually, the greatest gift any child can receive is to simply be seen.

LBB’s April Summers sat down with The Local Collective’s co-founder and CCO, Matt Litzinger, to discuss the thinking behind the campaign, the sensitivity required in its execution, and what they hope Canadians will take away from the work.

LBB> This idea of “being seen” reframes the well-meaning lesson “don’t stare.” How did that insight first surface, and what made you feel it was the right foundation for Safehaven’s story?

Matt> We've been working with Safehaven for a while now. During that time we have become immersed in the organisation, the kids and families they serve and the incredible humans that work and volunteer at Safehaven. Over time we have really begun to understand the cultural cues and how to display those emotions. And one of the things we noticed early on, was how common the interactions were between these groups.

There wasn't any hesitation, or awkwardness. And noticing that caused us to wonder why that awkwardness seems to exist outside of the Safehaven walls. In questioning that we realised that all of us are brought up with certain cues of politeness, most notably, "don't stare". We knew there was something in that contradiction, the idea that something meant to be polite was in fact unintended, painfully rude... for these wonderful kids.

LBB> How did you sense check your creative approach to ensure the campaign challenges Canadians to “see” without risking pity or misrepresentation?

Matt> We are always quick to ‘pressure test’ any conceptual ideas as they start to form, with both our internal folks and our client partners, many of whom have direct connections to medical complexity outside of their roles at Safehaven. This benefit of working closely together really helps us maintain the ‘correct’ accuracy of our ideas.#

LBB>The centrepiece film flips a universal childhood question about superpowers into something eye-opening. Can you talk us through how that device came to life and what you hoped audiences would feel in that moment?

Matt> One of the main challenges facing Safehaven is its relatability to people. It's hard to be able to explain all of the nuances of medical complexities and how it affects both the kids and their families. It's very easy to ‘other’ them unintentionally when telling their stories, however that is done creatively. So we were searching for a way to make them relatable to everyone. That led us to this idea of an age-old question, and it's amazing how often kids say "being invisible" would be their superpower. Once we got into it and started asking kids, it started to prove itself out. So we chose to tell the story in a reminiscent way, that doesn't "let" the audience know what's coming. It seems to have been doing just that. Most people's reactions have been genuinely powerful.

LBB> What change in perception or behaviour are you hoping to spark in Canadians through this work, and how do you measure success for a campaign that’s ultimately about visibility and belonging?

Matt> Hopefully, if someone encounters a medically complex person, they treat them and look at them just like we do any other person.

Hopefully parents have a dialogue with their kids and begin to alter that perception and help shape that behaviour.

Lastly, we hope to garner more financial support and volunteer support. It is such a crowded charitable landscape in Canada. Developing an approach that is both relatable and memorable should help us to achieve that goal. There is a quiet honesty in this film. Hopefully that adds to how real it feels and how real it makes people feel.