Inaugural Avicii Arena Together For A Better Day Concert Focuses on Youth Mental Health

By Mason Bugaresti 10/14/21 | www.samaritanmag.com

The late Tim

The first-ever Avicii Arena Together For A Better Day concert will take place on Dec. 1 in Stockholm, Sweden, to raise awareness for youth mental health, The Tim Bergling Foundation announced in conjunction with Avicii Arena.

Tim “Avicii” Berling, the international DJ who topped charts with such hits as “Wake Me Up,” "Hey Brother" and “Levels,” took his own life on April 20, 2018. A live-streamed tribute concert for mental health was held in his memory in December of 2019 with proceeds going to the eponymous Foundation.

"I hope we succeed in creating a feeling that we really do this together, because it is only together that we can make a difference," Klas Bergling, Tim’s father, said in a press statement. "Young people are our future and we must be afraid for them. It is unacceptable that they are getting worse and that suicide rates are rising in that group - and it is our duty to do what we can to break that trend."

Earlier this year, the Ericcson Globe Arena changed its name to Avicii Arena to honour the late artist. Along with the name change, it was announced that the arena would be used as a meeting place for young people to discuss their mental health with one another, in addition to the arena’s usual function for concerts and sporting events.

According to the release, Avicii Arena aims to “remove the stigma surrounding mental health, reduce mental illness among young people and get more people involved in the issue.  Of paramount importance is to show what strength and power there is in young people if they are given the right tools and conditions”.

The concert, which just went on sale, is a joint effort between the Tim Bergling Foundation and the For A Better Day fundraiser, where young people posted ideas online about what they need to create a better future. On Sep. 1, the list was given to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven as a guide to how to properly address youth mental health.

The concert features mostly Swedish artists from a wide variety of musical genres including EDM, classical music, rock, pop, R’n’B, and hip hop. Among the performers are Håkan Hellström, Miriam Bryant, Galantis, Amason, Annika Norlin, Cherrie, A36, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Also included is 14-year-old sensation Ella Tiritiello who broke onto the scene with her cover of Avicci’s 2015 song, “For a Better Day”.

Tim's parents set up The Tim Bergling Foundation following their son's death, using "significant proceeds" from his Estate, according to information on the "about" page, along with future proceeds from his work.

In addition to research and preventative actions against mental health and suicide, the foundation supports other causes Tim was passionate about, among them climate change, global hunger and wildlife preservation.

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