The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) is reimagining the way California serves young people and families. It’s a transformation that is created for, with and by our youth. Youth at the Center spotlights the many young people who are helping create that change through their involvement in CYBHI youth advisory groups and shaping this work at every level, from planning to implementation and evaluation. 

This story focuses on the youth advisory board for the Never a Bother youth suicide prevention campaign, which engaged youth in campaign development while imparting skills they can use in the future.

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In high school, there were lots of times when I needed help but didn’t know where to find it.

Maybe I was going through something, or maybe someone I cared about was struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts. 

During my junior and senior years, we had these wellness advisory meetings, where we would sit in a room and just talk. It wouldn’t have to be about academics or sports or drama or anything. You just talked about how you were feeling. I can’t tell you how much it helped. Having a safe space to sit and talk puts things into perspective and makes it easier to be open about what you’re living through.

Over the past year I’ve been part of the youth advisory group for a youth suicide prevention campaign called Never a Bother.

“That’s part of what makes this campaign special— it was created for and by young people.”

The advisory group is an incredible team, ranging from high-school age all the way up to near adulthood. We bring different backgrounds, voices and experiences, and we all believe in removing the taboo surrounding suicide prevention and mental health.

I got connected through my mentor Jana, who is with an organization called Directing Change. When Jana showed me the youth advisory group and what they were trying to achieve, I was immediately like “I want in.”

The campaign, which is sponsored by the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and the California Department of Public Health Office of Suicide Prevention, helps young people find the support they need, especially for communities who feel they haven’t been able to reach out or speak openly about suicide prevention and mental health. It points youth and their caregivers towards resources that can help before, during, and after a crisis, while increasing awareness of suicide warning signs.

The youth advisory board has gotten to help shape the campaign. For example, we wanted to make sure the website was simple and easy to navigate. So often, you go online looking for help, and it’s overwhelming and overstimulating. In a moment of crisis, that’s exactly how you don’t want to feel. 

So when you go on the Never a Bother website, you get a clear choice—“I’m Here for Me,” “I’m Here for A Friend,” or “I’m Here for a Youth in My Care.” It’s simple and streamlined, so hopefully people can get right to what they need.

One thing I’m really proud of is the whole “Never a Bother” slogan. We tossed around a bunch of great ideas, but there was something about “Never a Bother” that stuck out. It’s universal. So many times, when someone’s reached out to me or I’ve reached out to someone else, it’s “Hey, I don’t mean to be a bother…” 

When you’re talking about mental health, and especially suicide prevention, it’s so important that people know it’s always OK to reach out. It’s powerful to validate someone’s feelings and experience and say, “You’re never a bother. You can always talk to me. Please open up about what you’re going through. This is a safe space.”

I’m a young Black man, and I know my community especially struggles when it comes to suicide prevention and mental health.

“Campaigns where we have youth who look like me and the people I grew up with talking openly about mental health and suicide prevention, are incredibly important.” 

My biggest hope for this campaign is to help alleviate the anxiety around reaching out, that fear of not knowing what to do if you or someone you care about is struggling or having thoughts of suicide. 

Everyone has a point in their life, whether they’re 10 or 90 or somewhere in between, where they or someone they know struggles with mental health. So when I have an opportunity to help someone, particularly someone my age or younger, I always take it. 

You never know what someone is going through. But maybe someday they’ll look back and say “I remember this one time I went to this website and it was talking about things I could do to help myself in a crisis.”

To learn more about the campaign, visit neverabother.org

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Shailen Dawkins is a 23-year-old recent graduate of UCLA, where he studied film and television. He has been actively involved in programs promoting anti-racism, health equity, mental health awareness, and suicide prevention. Shailen has been a part of multiple mental health awareness and suicide prevention initiatives and aspires to create change for younger generations.