Never a Bother

The Challenge

In the last decade, California’s youth have been facing rising rates of loneliness, mental health challenges, and suicide, particularly in BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

In response to this crisis, the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Suicide Prevention partnered with Civilian to create a youth-centered campaign to build trust in resources like 988, promote help-seeking, and show young people (and those who love them) how to apply evidence-based strategies for suicide prevention.

Youth need to know their struggles are real. Their peers and caregivers need confidence in their abilities to intervene.

Our Approach

Our mission was to create a social movement that changed the narrative of youth mental health and suicide prevention.

We started by placing our diverse Youth Advisory Board at the center of our process—from research and strategy to messaging and creative design.

Our co-creators told us about parents who minimized their challenges, and the importance of letting peers know they aren’t a burden. They nixed gloomy visuals, opting instead for bright, hopeful, retro-inspired designs.

Never a Bother’s approachable cartoon flowers express a range of relatable emotions. Online and in print, the campaign pulls the curtain back on calling 988. And it provides science-backed strategies on what to say and do before, during, and after a crisis.

Video testimonials from California youth form the heart of Never a Bother. Our partnership with Megan Thee Stallion took our reach to stratospheric heights, as did our activation at Coachella, where attendees cooled off, got hydrated, and talked to counselors.