June 25, 2024 • 15 mins
The "Never A Bother" campaign by the Office of Suicide Prevention in California is a statewide initiative aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging open conversations about suicide prevention. The campaign emphasizes the message that reaching out for help is never a burden and seeks to reassure individuals that support is always available. By promoting the importance of checking in with loved ones and fostering a supportive community, "Never A Bother" aims to make mental health resources more accessible and to encourage people to seek help without fear of being a bother.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hey, it's Christy James with PrideRadio and I'm here with Juanacosta on behalf
of the California Office of Suicide Preventionto discuss the Never a Bother Campaign.
And this is really amazing. Sometimesit may feel like the world isn't listening
and no one understands where you're comingfrom. But you are not alone,
(00:20):
and one is here to tell usabout that. So thank you so much
for joining us. One, thankyou for having me. So tell us
a little bit about the Never aBother Campaign. The Never a Bother Campaign
is a statewide suicide prevention campaign specificallyfor young people, but we know the
message of place beyond the young peopledemographic. It is a message of hope
(00:41):
for many communities. And something thatwe heard in the creation of this campaign
is that when people wanted to speakabout mental health, they didn't speak about
it because they didn't want to feellike they were a bother. They didn't
want to burden anyone with their feelingsbecause they didn't know how people would react.
And I love that's the name,you are never a Bother, because
(01:02):
it's true, and it holds truefor youth, it holds true for adults,
but what is specifically unique about thisparticular campaign. This campaign was co
created with young people. Over fourhundred young people gave their input from diverse
communities, specifically from the Black AfricanAmerican community, from the Hispanic LATINX community,
(01:23):
and indigenous communities, in addition tointersectional populations including the LGBTQ plus community.
Which is perfect because it is Pridemonth and this is definitely a subject
that affects the queer community. Whydo you think this campaign is launching now?
The campaign is launching now because thestate of California knows and understands the
crisis young people are in. Rightthere's a youth mental health crisis, and
(01:48):
the way to combat the crisis isthrough prevention. We want to prevent youth
from having those suicidal thoughts and feelings, and it is as simple as a
reminder that they can go to peoplewithout feeling like a bother and knowing resources
like nine to eighty eight, whichcan be found on Never a Bother dot
org as a way of support forthem is essential. Nine eight eight a
(02:12):
number that everyone should have in theirphone if you need help. Who is
this Never a Bother? Campaign?Specifically for this campaign is meant for the
underserved communities I mentioned and for theLGBTQ plus population as well. But as
I said, it is a messagethat applies to the whole state of California
and beyond that. People all ofus need mental health support and we need
(02:37):
to speak about mental health. Weall have a mental health more than ever.
Is that sentiment so true? Thankyou so much? And what resources
are available through this particular never aBother campaign? You can visit never a
Bother dot org and find some selfcare tips, find some tips on how
to help other people and how tohelp yourself adition, just a reminder to
(03:01):
reach out to ninety eighty eight forsupport as well. Those are some great
tips. And if someone wants tohelp, where can they go so that
they can become involved. They canvisit the website Never Bother dot org and
get involved. We have a toolkiton the website that is accessible to anyone
who visits the website so that theycould get involved and sharing the message and
(03:23):
getting some of those tips for themselvesas well. Talking tojan Acosta from the
California Office of Suicide Prevention about theNever a Bother a campaign? How is
this campaign developed to make sure thatit resonates with the people who you wanted
to resonate with. This campaign wasdeveloped in partnership with many young people throughout
(03:44):
the state of California. It wasdone through focus groups, co creation sessions
and beyond, and we heard thatyoung people wanted something inviting, something right
that didn't make the conversation even moreintimidating that it already could be. So
it is a bright, colorful campaignwith a message of hope, which is
to remind people that they can goto people when they're in a dark place.
(04:08):
Even the website is bright and colorfuland the graphics. How did you
guys come up with the name nevera Bother? The name and the design
of the campaign was informed by theyoung people who were in these focus groups
and the listening sessions. They reallycame with a concept and the team the
media firm who created the campaign wasable to get all of the many ideas
(04:30):
of the young people and create thisamazing campaign. Well, I know we're
doing our part to help get theword out about the Never a Bother campaign,
But how are you guys conducting outreachto reach your target audience. This
campaign is also coupled with a suicideprevention program throughout the state of California.
There are thirty three funded organizations throughoutthe state that are disseminating the campaign with
(04:57):
the communities that are made to bereally a focus for this campaign, and
they're creating their own content, usingtheir own social media platforms, creating their
own media projects to uplift this messagebecause we know it's important to get out.
It is definitely an important message.And what resources are available through this
(05:18):
particular never a Bother campaign? Youcan visit never a Bother dot org and
find some tips on how to helpother people and how to help yourself.
In addition, just a reminder toreach out to ninety eighty eight for support
as well. Those are some greattips And if someone wants to help,
where can they go so that theycan become involved. They can visit the
(05:40):
website never a Bother dot org andget involved. We have a toolkit on
the website that is accessible to anyonewho visits the website so that they could
get involved and sharing the message andjust getting some of those tips for themselves
as well. And it being Pridemonth. Why do you think this campaign
specifically is relevant for the two sLGBTQ plus community. We know that youth
(06:02):
of color throughout the state are sufferingand sometimes have more barriers to access resources.
But when you have intersectionality, whenyou're a youth of color and you
belong to the two S or LGBTQplus community, those struggles can be even
more intense. And this is theperfect opportunity Pride Month. We often uplift
(06:25):
Pride in a variety of ways,but Pride is a movement. It's not
just a celebration. It is amovement, and we want never bothered to
be a part of that movement,a movement where the LGBTQ plus community is
represented and are comfortable speaking about whothey are in their safe spaces. And
you always hear that there are higherrates of suicide amongst LGBTQ plus youth.
(06:48):
Is that a real statistic. Itis a real statistic, and it goes
back to just those struggles being moreintense. Right, A young person ality
struggles by being a young person inthis country. But when you have an
identity that sometimes makes other people lookat you a certain way or discriminate against
(07:12):
you, it intensifies those struggles andtherefore create more suicidal thoughts and feelings for
members of the LGBTQ plus community.Talking to Juanacosta with the California Office of
Suicide Prevention, how did you becomeinvolved with Never a Bother this campaign?
I actually serve as a program officerat the Center at Serah Health Foundation for
(07:34):
the Youth Suicide Prevention program, andit is all connected. The program,
the local programming, and the campaignare all part of this state effort to
address the youth suicide prevention crisis.What resources are available through this particular Never
a Bother campaign? You can visitnever a Bother dot org and find some
(07:57):
tips on how to help other peopleand how to help yourself. In addition,
just a reminder to reach out toninety eight for support as well.
Those are some great tips, Andif someone wants to help, where can
they go so that they can becomeinvolved? They can visit the website never
Bother dot org and get involved.We have a toolkit on the website that
(08:18):
is accessible to anyone who visits thewebsite so that they could get involved in
sharing the message and just getting someof those tips for themselves as well.
I can tell that this is somethingthat's near and dear to your heart,
you work with the youth. Whatis it about this particular campaign that really
resonates with you? For me,it's always been important to address mental health
(08:39):
and a preventative measure. We oftenthink about people in crisis right and sometimes
we need to start earlier. Weneed to get to people earlier. We
need to provide that education, thatmessage of hope and the resources early on
to avoid a crisis point. Asa proud gay man myself, this campaign
speaks to me many different ways andI'm just grateful to be a part of
(09:03):
it. I am queer as well, and as members of the LGBTQ plus
community, we definitely want to reachout and uplift our community and everyone,
because that's who this never a bothercampaign really is for. What are your
goals for this particular campaign. Whatdo you hope to achieve? Well,
we have many goals, but mybiggest goal is to really get to the
(09:26):
people who may be in need ofsupport and provide that message of hope and
provide them with direction to resources.That is the goal of this campaign.
We want for more people to speakopenly about it, but specifically to engage
the young people and just knowing andunderstanding that even if they're in a dark
place, there is a way outof that dark place, and their feelings
(09:50):
or emotions are valid and they shouldnever feel like they are bothered. If
you have a friend that may bein a dark place, or you know
someone that you think might be strugglingbut you're not quite sure, what are
some of the signs that people canlook out for to see that someone could
(10:11):
be struggling with suicidal thoughts. Someof the signs that people could be struggling
with suicidal thoughts could be that they'rewithdrawing themselves from their regular activities, whether
it's or social groups, sports,whatever it may be, but withdrawing from
things that they usually found joy incan be a sign maybe they have a
plan to act in their suicidal thoughtsand feelings, or even just writing a
(10:37):
goodbye letter or a note to afriend or a loved one can also be
a sign. And if someone isstruggling with these issues, or they see
someone they care about or love strugglingwith these issues, where can they go
for help? They can go tohelp by finding resources at never Bother dot
org. They can reach out toninet eighty eight and they can all reach
(11:00):
out to other resources like the TrevorProject. But it's important that when we
see a loved one or a friendstruggling, that we also just ask the
question, ask them how we cansupport them, Ask what they need from
us. It is not us tellingthem what they need, but just really
listening sometimes is all they need andwhat resources are available through this particular never
(11:24):
a Bother campaign. You can visitnever a Bother dot org and find some
self care tips, find some tipson how to help other people and how
to help yourself. In addition,just a reminder to reach out to ninety
eighty eight for support as well.Those are some great tips. And if
someone wants to help, where canthey go so that they can become involved?
(11:46):
They can visit the website never aBother dot org and get involved.
We have a toolkit on the websitethat is accessible to anyone who visits the
website so that they could get involvedand sharing the message and just getting some
of those tips for themselves as well. And if someone calls nine to eight
eight, what exactly are they goingto get? They're going to get someone
(12:07):
just answering and holding space for them, right, just having a conversation about
how they're feeling, and it doesn'tneed to be that you're in a crisis
point. There's warm lines out thereas well that you can access, or
a crisis text line in a varietyof other resources. But you just need
to reach out to someone and havethe conversation about what's going on internally.
(12:31):
How do you even start that conversationwith someone you think is in a dark
space or might be considering suicide orneeds help. It's always very important to
ask the question directly. I've noticedthis change in you. Is there something
going on or just having a conversationabout mental health? And this is part
(12:52):
of the effort of the Never ofOther campaign is normalizing these conversations how is
your mental health? We oftentimes askpeople how are you doing? But why
not take it a step further andask how they really are doing and how
their mental health is in their currentstate. I've heard that before. Don't
just ask people how are you doing? But no, really, how are
(13:15):
you doing? How are you knowwhat's going on in your world? How
are you feeling? That's great adviceone, So how do you ensure the
people around you understand that they arenever a Bother I think it takes education
right and especially with the communities thatwe're working with, there may be higher
rates of stigma, and I thinkunderstanding that it is a process for many
(13:39):
people. But the more that wedo it and the more that we actively
engage in these conversations, the moreit creates a ripple effect within our own
circles and within our own community.So it may take a while, but
just starting the conversation and continuing itis important. And what resources are available
through this particular never a Bother cam. You can visit never a Bother dot
(14:01):
org and find some tips on howto help other people and how to help
yourself. In addition, just areminder to reach out to ninety eighty eight
for support as well. Those aresome great tips And if someone wants to
help, where can they go sothat they can become involved. They can
visit the website never a Bother dotorg and get involved. We have a
(14:22):
toolkit on the website that is accessibleto anyone who visits the website so that
they could get involved in sharing themessage and just getting some of those tips
for themselves as well. Thank youso much, Juan Acosta with the California
Office of Suicide Prevention. Appreciate yourtime. Appreciate you giving us more information
about the Never a Bother campaign.Like I said earlier, it may feel
(14:46):
like the world isn't listening and noone understands, but you are never alone.
You are never a bother and ifyou need help, don't be afraid
to reach out at never a Botherdot org or call nine to eight eight.
Thank you on, thank You
Hey, it's Christy James with PrideRadio and I'm here with Juanacosta on behalf
of the California Office of Suicide Preventionto discuss the Never a Bother Campaign.
And this is really amazing. Sometimesit may feel like the world isn't listening
and no one understands where you're comingfrom. But you are not alone,
(00:20):
and one is here to tell usabout that. So thank you so much
for joining us. One, thankyou for having me. So tell us
a little bit about the Never aBother Campaign. The Never a Bother Campaign
is a statewide suicide prevention campaign specificallyfor young people, but we know the
message of place beyond the young peopledemographic. It is a message of hope
(00:41):
for many communities. And something thatwe heard in the creation of this campaign
is that when people wanted to speakabout mental health, they didn't speak about
it because they didn't want to feellike they were a bother. They didn't
want to burden anyone with their feelingsbecause they didn't know how people would react.
And I love that's the name,you are never a Bother, because
(01:02):
it's true, and it holds truefor youth, it holds true for adults,
but what is specifically unique about thisparticular campaign. This campaign was co
created with young people. Over fourhundred young people gave their input from diverse
communities, specifically from the Black AfricanAmerican community, from the Hispanic LATINX community,
(01:23):
and indigenous communities, in addition tointersectional populations including the LGBTQ plus community.
Which is perfect because it is Pridemonth and this is definitely a subject
that affects the queer community. Whydo you think this campaign is launching now?
The campaign is launching now because thestate of California knows and understands the
crisis young people are in. Rightthere's a youth mental health crisis, and
(01:48):
the way to combat the crisis isthrough prevention. We want to prevent youth
from having those suicidal thoughts and feelings, and it is as simple as a
reminder that they can go to peoplewithout feeling like a bother and knowing resources
like nine to eighty eight, whichcan be found on Never a Bother dot
org as a way of support forthem is essential. Nine eight eight a
(02:12):
number that everyone should have in theirphone if you need help. Who is
this Never a Bother? Campaign?Specifically for this campaign is meant for the
underserved communities I mentioned and for theLGBTQ plus population as well. But as
I said, it is a messagethat applies to the whole state of California
and beyond that. People all ofus need mental health support and we need
(02:37):
to speak about mental health. Weall have a mental health more than ever.
Is that sentiment so true? Thankyou so much? And what resources
are available through this particular never aBother campaign? You can visit never a
Bother dot org and find some selfcare tips, find some tips on how
to help other people and how tohelp yourself adition, just a reminder to
(03:01):
reach out to ninety eighty eight forsupport as well. Those are some great
tips. And if someone wants tohelp, where can they go so that
they can become involved. They canvisit the website Never Bother dot org and
get involved. We have a toolkiton the website that is accessible to anyone
who visits the website so that theycould get involved and sharing the message and
(03:23):
getting some of those tips for themselvesas well. Talking tojan Acosta from the
California Office of Suicide Prevention about theNever a Bother a campaign? How is
this campaign developed to make sure thatit resonates with the people who you wanted
to resonate with. This campaign wasdeveloped in partnership with many young people throughout
(03:44):
the state of California. It wasdone through focus groups, co creation sessions
and beyond, and we heard thatyoung people wanted something inviting, something right
that didn't make the conversation even moreintimidating that it already could be. So
it is a bright, colorful campaignwith a message of hope, which is
to remind people that they can goto people when they're in a dark place.
(04:08):
Even the website is bright and colorfuland the graphics. How did you
guys come up with the name nevera Bother? The name and the design
of the campaign was informed by theyoung people who were in these focus groups
and the listening sessions. They reallycame with a concept and the team the
media firm who created the campaign wasable to get all of the many ideas
(04:30):
of the young people and create thisamazing campaign. Well, I know we're
doing our part to help get theword out about the Never a Bother campaign,
But how are you guys conducting outreachto reach your target audience. This
campaign is also coupled with a suicideprevention program throughout the state of California.
There are thirty three funded organizations throughoutthe state that are disseminating the campaign with
(04:57):
the communities that are made to bereally a focus for this campaign, and
they're creating their own content, usingtheir own social media platforms, creating their
own media projects to uplift this messagebecause we know it's important to get out.
It is definitely an important message.And what resources are available through this
(05:18):
particular never a Bother campaign? Youcan visit never a Bother dot org and
find some tips on how to helpother people and how to help yourself.
In addition, just a reminder toreach out to ninety eighty eight for support
as well. Those are some greattips And if someone wants to help,
where can they go so that theycan become involved. They can visit the
(05:40):
website never a Bother dot org andget involved. We have a toolkit on
the website that is accessible to anyonewho visits the website so that they could
get involved and sharing the message andjust getting some of those tips for themselves
as well. And it being Pridemonth. Why do you think this campaign
specifically is relevant for the two sLGBTQ plus community. We know that youth
(06:02):
of color throughout the state are sufferingand sometimes have more barriers to access resources.
But when you have intersectionality, whenyou're a youth of color and you
belong to the two S or LGBTQplus community, those struggles can be even
more intense. And this is theperfect opportunity Pride Month. We often uplift
(06:25):
Pride in a variety of ways,but Pride is a movement. It's not
just a celebration. It is amovement, and we want never bothered to
be a part of that movement,a movement where the LGBTQ plus community is
represented and are comfortable speaking about whothey are in their safe spaces. And
you always hear that there are higherrates of suicide amongst LGBTQ plus youth.
(06:48):
Is that a real statistic. Itis a real statistic, and it goes
back to just those struggles being moreintense. Right, A young person ality
struggles by being a young person inthis country. But when you have an
identity that sometimes makes other people lookat you a certain way or discriminate against
(07:12):
you, it intensifies those struggles andtherefore create more suicidal thoughts and feelings for
members of the LGBTQ plus community.Talking to Juanacosta with the California Office of
Suicide Prevention, how did you becomeinvolved with Never a Bother this campaign?
I actually serve as a program officerat the Center at Serah Health Foundation for
(07:34):
the Youth Suicide Prevention program, andit is all connected. The program,
the local programming, and the campaignare all part of this state effort to
address the youth suicide prevention crisis.What resources are available through this particular Never
a Bother campaign? You can visitnever a Bother dot org and find some
(07:57):
tips on how to help other peopleand how to help yourself. In addition,
just a reminder to reach out toninety eight for support as well.
Those are some great tips, Andif someone wants to help, where can
they go so that they can becomeinvolved? They can visit the website never
Bother dot org and get involved.We have a toolkit on the website that
(08:18):
is accessible to anyone who visits thewebsite so that they could get involved in
sharing the message and just getting someof those tips for themselves as well.
I can tell that this is somethingthat's near and dear to your heart,
you work with the youth. Whatis it about this particular campaign that really
resonates with you? For me,it's always been important to address mental health
(08:39):
and a preventative measure. We oftenthink about people in crisis right and sometimes
we need to start earlier. Weneed to get to people earlier. We
need to provide that education, thatmessage of hope and the resources early on
to avoid a crisis point. Asa proud gay man myself, this campaign
speaks to me many different ways andI'm just grateful to be a part of
(09:03):
it. I am queer as well, and as members of the LGBTQ plus
community, we definitely want to reachout and uplift our community and everyone,
because that's who this never a bothercampaign really is for. What are your
goals for this particular campaign. Whatdo you hope to achieve? Well,
we have many goals, but mybiggest goal is to really get to the
(09:26):
people who may be in need ofsupport and provide that message of hope and
provide them with direction to resources.That is the goal of this campaign.
We want for more people to speakopenly about it, but specifically to engage
the young people and just knowing andunderstanding that even if they're in a dark
place, there is a way outof that dark place, and their feelings
(09:50):
or emotions are valid and they shouldnever feel like they are bothered. If
you have a friend that may bein a dark place, or you know
someone that you think might be strugglingbut you're not quite sure, what are
some of the signs that people canlook out for to see that someone could
(10:11):
be struggling with suicidal thoughts. Someof the signs that people could be struggling
with suicidal thoughts could be that they'rewithdrawing themselves from their regular activities, whether
it's or social groups, sports,whatever it may be, but withdrawing from
things that they usually found joy incan be a sign maybe they have a
plan to act in their suicidal thoughtsand feelings, or even just writing a
(10:37):
goodbye letter or a note to afriend or a loved one can also be
a sign. And if someone isstruggling with these issues, or they see
someone they care about or love strugglingwith these issues, where can they go
for help? They can go tohelp by finding resources at never Bother dot
org. They can reach out toninet eighty eight and they can all reach
(11:00):
out to other resources like the TrevorProject. But it's important that when we
see a loved one or a friendstruggling, that we also just ask the
question, ask them how we cansupport them, Ask what they need from
us. It is not us tellingthem what they need, but just really
listening sometimes is all they need andwhat resources are available through this particular never
(11:24):
a Bother campaign. You can visitnever a Bother dot org and find some
self care tips, find some tipson how to help other people and how
to help yourself. In addition,just a reminder to reach out to ninety
eighty eight for support as well.Those are some great tips. And if
someone wants to help, where canthey go so that they can become involved?
(11:46):
They can visit the website never aBother dot org and get involved.
We have a toolkit on the websitethat is accessible to anyone who visits the
website so that they could get involvedand sharing the message and just getting some
of those tips for themselves as well. And if someone calls nine to eight
eight, what exactly are they goingto get? They're going to get someone
(12:07):
just answering and holding space for them, right, just having a conversation about
how they're feeling, and it doesn'tneed to be that you're in a crisis
point. There's warm lines out thereas well that you can access, or
a crisis text line in a varietyof other resources. But you just need
to reach out to someone and havethe conversation about what's going on internally.
(12:31):
How do you even start that conversationwith someone you think is in a dark
space or might be considering suicide orneeds help. It's always very important to
ask the question directly. I've noticedthis change in you. Is there something
going on or just having a conversationabout mental health? And this is part
(12:52):
of the effort of the Never ofOther campaign is normalizing these conversations how is
your mental health? We oftentimes askpeople how are you doing? But why
not take it a step further andask how they really are doing and how
their mental health is in their currentstate. I've heard that before. Don't
just ask people how are you doing? But no, really, how are
(13:15):
you doing? How are you knowwhat's going on in your world? How
are you feeling? That's great adviceone, So how do you ensure the
people around you understand that they arenever a Bother I think it takes education
right and especially with the communities thatwe're working with, there may be higher
rates of stigma, and I thinkunderstanding that it is a process for many
(13:39):
people. But the more that wedo it and the more that we actively
engage in these conversations, the moreit creates a ripple effect within our own
circles and within our own community.So it may take a while, but
just starting the conversation and continuing itis important. And what resources are available
through this particular never a Bother cam. You can visit never a Bother dot
(14:01):
org and find some tips on howto help other people and how to help
yourself. In addition, just areminder to reach out to ninety eighty eight
for support as well. Those aresome great tips And if someone wants to
help, where can they go sothat they can become involved. They can
visit the website never a Bother dotorg and get involved. We have a
(14:22):
toolkit on the website that is accessibleto anyone who visits the website so that
they could get involved in sharing themessage and just getting some of those tips
for themselves as well. Thank youso much, Juan Acosta with the California
Office of Suicide Prevention. Appreciate yourtime. Appreciate you giving us more information
about the Never a Bother campaign.Like I said earlier, it may feel
(14:46):
like the world isn't listening and noone understands, but you are never alone.
You are never a bother and ifyou need help, don't be afraid
to reach out at never a Botherdot org or call nine to eight eight.
Thank you on, thank You
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