Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is launching the second phase of its “Missed Birthdays” campaign, centring around one film, a true story of youth suicide.
The campaign, made possible by funding from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, marks the next instalment of creative agency Adam & Eve DDB’s ongoing work with CALM, in partnership with ITV and the7Stars.
It follows on from an initial activation at Westfield London in 2024, featuring 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.
Through home videos from her childhood, the viewer is introduced to a little girl named Evelyn. We see Evelyn celebrate birthdays and Christmases, sharing moments of highs and lows with her family, laughing and dancing. As the family grows, Evelyn is seen playing and bonding with her younger siblings.
The film is narrated by Evelyn’s mum, who remembers her daughter’s beaming smile, kind heart and amazing hugs. The words form an emotional letter to Evelyn ahead of her birthday and in the final frame she is seen holding up balloons, celebrating her 15th birthday.
Towards the end of the film, white letters appear on a black background stating that Evelyn never celebrated her 16th birthday. She is one of 6,929 young people who have taken their own life in the last decade.
Much like the first phase of the campaign, the film will direct viewers to the CALM Care Kit, an online resource and suite of practical tools that enable parents and trusted adults to play an active role in ending youth suicide.
The Care Kit hosts a comprehensive collection of resources designed to help prevent suicide by recognising and supporting young people throughout life and in moments of crisis.
The work debuts this week, alongside an omnichannel campaign planned and booked by the7stars, spanning cinema, TV, video-on-demand and social channels and runs for four weeks.
The first part of the Missed Birthdays campaign launched with a major experiential activation at Westfield London in September 2024, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day. Missed Birthdays seeks to turn the tragic increase and magnitude of youth suicide into an unignorable and nationwide talking point.
In the UK, 6,929 15- to 24-year-olds have been lost to suicide between 2012 and 2022. Despite this sobering statistic, youth suicide is seldom spoken about. Only 15% of parents and carers have spoken about mental health and suicide with loved ones, despite two in five young people admitting to experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts.
The campaign forms part of the mission to unite the public in addressing the tragedy of youth suicide and empower every adult to play a role in protecting young lives.
CALM chief executive Simon Gunning said: “It is unacceptable that we have lost 6,929 young people to suicide in the last decade. Behind that stark statistic are real people, and thousands of families going through the unimaginable pain of losing a child. We at CALM want to thank every single person that has generously shared their story with the Missed Birthdays campaign to date, and to Evelyn’s parents for the courage they have shown in allowing us to help tell their story in this new film.
“With their help, we’re urging absolutely everyone to save, share and bookmark the Care Kit. We all have a role to play in ending youth suicide. By starting life-saving conversations, we can all do our bit to help a young person find a way forward and make sure they never think that suicide is their only option.”
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