CALM exposes lives lost to suicide with 6,929 balloons

Suicide prevention charity the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is launching the next instalment of its long-running activity through Adam & EveDDB, in partnership with ITV, as it continues its mission to help people end their misery, not their lives.

At the heart of the campaign, dubbed Missed Birthdays, is a major activation at Westfield London which will be live between today and and Wednesday this week, including World Suicide Prevention Day tomorrow (September 10).

Suicide is now the leading cause of death for people under 34 in the UK, with women under the age of 24 forming the fastest growing group in history at risk of taking their own lives. Missed Birthdays seeks to turn the tragic increase and magnitude of youth suicide into an unignorable and nationwide talking point.

The installation uses a universal symbol of celebration, birthday balloons, to deliver a sombre message of loss and raise awareness of the tragedy that is youth suicide. It will feature 6,929 balloons, each one representing a young person who has died by suicide in the past decade and the birthday they did not reach.

Visitors to the installation will be given the opportunity to hear intimate voice notes from loved ones who have lost a young person to suicide, describing what they were like and what they hope to achieve in being part of the Missed Birthdays campaign.

Supporting the project, the7stars has negotiated a number of strategic media partnerships to deliver a fully integrated campaign with mass reach, including content and editorial coverage across press, digital and OOH. TV and radio is planned for later in the year.

CALM’s long term partnership with ITV continues, with programming dedicated to youth suicide; live broadcast and interviews on ITV’s flagship daytime programme, This Morning, with CALM CEO Simon Gunning and services director Wendy Robinson, and loved ones of young people who feature as part of the campaign.

Funding has been secured from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) and will also be supported by a press and out-of-home campaign that spotlights the stories young people lost to suicide.

JCDecaux, Bauer, Reach, Outernet, Mail Metro, Evening Standard, News UK, the Guardian, Clear Channel and Ocean Outdoor are all backing the cause with channel specific and locally targeted messaging designed to deliver maximum impact and relevance.

To enable trusted adults to play an active role in ending youth suicide, all messaging in the campaign will direct to a newly-created resource, the CALM C.A.R.E. kit – a suite of practical tools and resources designed to equip trusted adults with everything needed to be there for a young person – from introducing the topic to keeping them safe in crisis.

Through this campaign, CALM and ITV aim to unite the public in addressing the tragedy of youth suicide and empower every adult to play a role in protecting young lives.

CALM’s Gunning said: “It’s devastating for a young person to not make it to their 15th, 16th, 17th birthday. It’s absolutely tragic when that reason is suicide. Over the last decade, 6,929 families have been affected by the tragedy of youth suicide.

“We want to thank everyone who shared their stories in this campaign for their strength and courage, and hope it can open up conversations and give everyone the tools to support the young people in their lives.”

Adam & Eve DDB executive creative directors Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland added: “The numbers behind youth suicide are a sobering statistic. Talking about the number of lives lost to this tragedy is one thing, but seeing the sheer volume represented with birthday balloons and the ages these young people didn’t reach is another.

“We hope that anyone who engages with the campaign will be motivated to use CALM’s tools and help end youth suicide for good.”