Statewide Effort Empowers Youth In Suicide Prevention

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Add depression, isolation, anxiety, peer pressure and the pervasiveness of social media to all the other challenges of being young and Black in America and one doesn’t have to look far to explain the rise in suicide rates. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among Californians age 10-25 years between 2018-2022. Youth ages 10-18 experienced an increase of more than 20% in suicide rates from 2019 to 2020. Help is being offered in the form of a newly launched campaign, Never a Bother. There is a youth-centered website, regular social media posts and a nightly telephone hotline. Never a Bother is part of the Youth Suicide Prevention Media and Outreach Campaign (YSP), a partnership between the Department of Public Health and The Center at Sierra Health Foundation aimed at reducing suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behavior for disproportionately impacted youth. The YSP campaign, a key component of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, awarded $16.3 million to 34 nonprofits across the state. Partners utilize evidence-based strategies to support youth mental health. Locally, Liberty Towers Church received $500,000 to improve youth mental health for Black/African American youth in...