The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is implementing a statewide public education and change campaign co-designed for and by youth to raise behavioral health awareness for children, youth and caregivers, and their communities in California. The goal of the campaign is to reduce stigma around mental, emotional, behavioral health and substance use disorder and to increase help-seeking behavior and wellness support. The campaign will support public health education campaigns to five priority populations: Black and African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Latinos, Native Americans, and LGBTQ+, while considering the unique needs of transitional-age youth, persons with disabilities, justice-involved youth, foster care youth, and those living in rural areas.
The overall macro statewide campaign will deploy impactful multicultural and multilingual media efforts featuring culturally and linguistically appropriate information. Through a paradigm shift that changes perceptions and practices, the campaign will empower diverse communities to develop and implement their own culturally appropriate prevention and early-intervention strategies, free from stigma, and thereby strengthen the state’s overall efforts. Through this, the campaign will empower diverse communities to build upon their own cultural best practices without stigma and strengthen our state’s prevention and early-intervention efforts.
Develop a Public Education and Change Campaign that creates awareness without the stigma of mental, emotional and behavioral health, including substance use disorders and wellness.
Partner with children, youth, caregivers, families, and communities to co-design, reflect, and share culturally, linguistically, and age-appropriate specific campaign(s).
Partner with community-based organizations to develop and enhance culturally, linguistically, and age-appropriate campaigns aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination and help connect individuals, families, and caregivers to the appropriate resources they need around mental, emotional and behavioral health promotion, prevention, treatment, maintenance and wellness.
Convened regular and ongoing meetings of the Brain Trust, a committee consisting of national and California experts on behavioral health.
Conducted outreach and engagement, including: community members in introductory meetings, impacted community members through focus groups, impacted community member individual interviews and community of solution members engaged in listening sessions.
