CALM Addresses Youth Suicide Crisis with 6,929 Balloons

'Missed Birthdays' by Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and ITV tackles the urgent issue of youth suicide in the UK.

Created by adam&eveDDB, it aims to turn the tragedy of young lives lost into a national conversation. With suicide now the leading cause of death for people under 34, and young women under 24 being the fastest-growing at-risk group, the project shines a light on this devastating reality.

Simon Gunning, CEO, CALM, 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.”

At the heart of the campaign is a major activation at Westfield London which will be live between 9 and 11 September, including World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.

The installation uses a universal symbol of celebration, birthday balloons, to deliver a somber 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 last decade and the birthday they did not reach.

Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland, ECDs, adam&eveDDB, commented: “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.”

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.

Mehul Ashra, strategist at the7stars, added, “Our challenge was to deliver these important stories in an articulate, compelling, and channel-appropriate way. We only collaborated with media partners who shared our passion for creating impact and raising awareness. Each partner developed the personal stories to deliver authentic and powerful messages through their channels and talent. We thank all the media owners who contributed, for making this campaign possible."

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.

Missed Birthdays 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, Guardian, Clear Channel and Ocean Outdoor are all backing the cause with channel specific and locally targeted messaging 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.

The Missed Birthdays campaign is made possible by funding from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF).

CALM and adam&eveDDB worked with Creative Giants on the design & build of the installation at Westfield, White City, where great care has been taken to ensure it is as sustainable as possible, opting for air filled foil balloons, manufactured in the UK. The live event finishes on Wednesday, 11 September, when the installation will be donated to charity Children's Scrap Project who will reuse the balloons for a range of arts and crafts projects, including: children's workshops, drama projects, back drops, displays, collage, sensory rooms, holistic play and a variety of educational projects.

Credits

Official Partner: ITV

Official Sponsor: Iceland Foods Charity Foundation

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)

Simon Gunning: ceo

Dipika Saggi: marketing director

Pippa Rogers: delivery lead

Wendy Robinson: services director

Elizabeth Charlesworth: head of pr and communications

Emma O'Sullivan: social media manager

Sarah McGuire: head of creative operations

Danny Wright: creative copy lead

Annabelle Letten: content and editorial lead

Milly Whyman: performance marketing manager

Sam Quinton: art director

Georgey Lee: graphic designer

adamandeveDDB

Rick Brim: chief creative officer

Ant Nelson: executive creative director

Mike Sutherland: executive creative director

Jay Parekh: creative

Forrest Clancy: creative

Nikki Cramphorn: head of integrated production

Sally Pritchett: head of integrated production

Jaki Jo Hannan: head of print production & experiential

Sally Patterson: producer

Brittany Littlewood: producer

Catarina van Leuven: assistant producer

Hannah King: producer

Miranda Hipwell: chief executive officer

Cicely Milsom: business director

Carrie Pollock: account director

Jude Green: account executive

Martin Beverley: chief strategy officer

Will Grundy: head of planning

Jack Gilbert: senior planner

Rasha Noronha: project director

Tom Campbell: senior legal counsel

King Henry Studios

Scott Silvey: head of design

Oliver Watts: designer

Dave Callow: head of artwork

Sam Harris: designer

Jon Webb: retouching studio manager

Dan Jackson: retoucher

adamandeveDDB Studios

Tara Thompson: senior shoot producer

Stephen Mead: director of creative content

Jay Tijani: print producer

Tony Hutton: print producer

Dean Cronin: artworker

Trev Malone: qc operator

Sam Kim: technical motion lead

Gareth Evans: print producer

Pata Malecka: resource manager

James Ireland: head of editing

the7stars

Ben Edwards: strategy director

Mehul Ashra: strategy director

Chris Gilfoy: head of strategy

Helen Oakley: client lead

Lewis Shaw: managing partner; investment & commercial

Michelle Sarpong: commercial lead

Hope & Glory

Don Ferguson: deputy MD

Amber Druce: senior account director

Amy Jones: creative director

Melissa Bristol: senior account manager

Rebecca Buckby: senior account executive

Liam Sheppard: account executive

Ella Thompson: account executive

Creative Giants

Simon Vaughan: director

Ben Kearns: design director

Maree Featherstonhaugh: producer

Balloon Room

Balloon Architects: technical production and av

PF Events: technical production and av

Outback Rigging: rigging

Conex Walling: walling

Westfield Rise: venue

Event LX: lighting

750mph

Olivia Ray: head of production

Giselle Hall: sound engineer

Together Associates

Joss Mckinley: photographer

Jon Simpson: producer

Six Minutes Casting

Josie Cole: casting director

Rebecca Lloyd-Evans: co-founder

Interval Films

Ollie Larkin: founder & director

Obstacle Films

Oliver Nias: founder & executive producer

Simon Elsbury: camera operator

Tom Legge: camera operator

London Drone Company

Ross Turner: drone capture

Tim Rundle Spiers: drone capture

Harry Mitchell: photographer