Powerful Film from CALM Spotlights Heartbreaking Impact of Youth Suicide on Families

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the suicide prevention charity on a mission to help people end their misery, not their lives, is launching the second phase of its Missed Birthdays campaign. 

The campaign, made possible by funding from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF), marks the next instalment of creative agency adam&eveDDB’s ongoing work with CALM, in partnership with ITV and the7Stars. 

Following on from an initial activation at Westfield London in 2024, the second burst of the campaign centres around one film, a true story of youth suicide. 

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 beautifully 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 C.A.R.E. 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 C.A.R.E 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 on 28th January 2025 alongside an omnichannel campaign planned and booked by the7stars, spanning cinema, TV, video-on-demand and social channels and runs for four weeks. The film is directed by Sebastian Edwards and produced by Academy Films. PR is managed by Hope & Glory. 

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 15-24-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 CALM, ITV and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation’s mission to unite the public in addressing the tragedy of youth suicide and empower every adult to play a role in protecting young lives. 

Simon Gunning, chief executive officer, CALM, 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 C.A.R.E. 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.” 

Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland, executive creative directors, adam&eveDDB, commented, “This emotional campaign serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of youth suicide on families and friends. Evelyn’s story is one that will stay with us and we thank her family for sharing their memories of her with us. We hope that anyone who sees this film will be motivated to use CALM’s tools to support the young people in their lives who might be struggling.” 

Helen Oakley, client lead at the7stars, added, “To maximise impact and understanding of the issues young people currently face, we have prioritised viewing environments that allow us to tell the longer story, to really hit home and land the message.” 

Tarsem Dhaliwal OBE, group chief executive of Iceland Foods and Trustee of Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation said, “Youth suicide is an urgent crisis, and we’re proud to support CALM’s powerful campaign to raise awareness and provide practical tools that can save lives. At Iceland, we’re deeply committed to the communities we serve, and we believe it’s crucial to help trusted adults feel confident in having those vital conversations with young people. Talking about suicide can feel difficult, but it’s only by addressing it directly that we can start to make a difference. CALM’s C.A.R.E. Kit is an invaluable resource, and we encourage everyone to take the time to familiarise themselves with it. Together, we can help ensure young people feel supported and know they’re not alone.” 

The CALM C.A.R.E. Kit is available for free at thecalmzone.net. You can sign up to CALM’s newsletter to have tailored support sent directly to your phone.