About us

The Live Beyond ACEs and toxic stress campaign is a key component of the groundbreaking multibillion-dollar five-year effort to transform how California supports children, youth, and families.

This is a campaign of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) — part of Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, a historic investment by the State of California. Centering the needs of young people and uniting the efforts of the agencies and organizations that serve them, CYBHI is dedicated to ensuring young people and families can find support for their emotional, mental, and behavioral health needs.

The Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) has developed a campaign focused on raising awareness and understanding of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and their potential negative impacts.

Our campaign’s goals are to:

  • Increase knowledge about ACEs and toxic stress, and the science behind their potential impacts on people’s everyday lives — including physical and mental health and interpersonal relationships, among others.
  • Influence attitudes about help-seeking by sharing stories of healing.
  • Build skills with accessible tools and resources that provide scientifically proven, culturally relatable, and actionable steps to heal and manage stress.
  • Inspire action to overcome the impacts of ACEs and toxic stress, and prevent them from cycling into future generations.

Read more about our campaign youth advisors and subject matter experts.

Live Beyond in the news

Sac Bee

We survived some rocky childhood moments. Now, we're trying to help other Californians
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Mental Health Weekly

California campaign targeting youths will heighten awareness around ACEs
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Live Beyond

Campaign launch press release
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TED Talks

How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime
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The Bay Area Reporter

How Californians can live beyond adversity
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My Therapist Is Out! podcast

Youth advisor Juniper and Dr. Blosnich talk about ACEs
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Univision Radio Interview

Dr. Diana Ramos on Día de Voz
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PR Newswire

California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos launches PSA to raise awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress
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K-LOVE 107.5, Los Angeles

Julio, youth advisor, talks about healing
Listen

Que Buena 106 5 y “Amor” 102

Julio, youth advisor, talks about healing
Listen

Hear from our campaign

When It Comes to Living Beyond Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Help Is Where You Find It by Dr. John R. Blosnich

Emory Cowen was a psychologist who focused on prevention of mental health problems among youth who experienced stressful life events. Amidst a movement in the 1970s to forge community psychology and community mental health, Cowen called for expanding the ways society thought about how – and who – could help in promoting mental health…Read more >

Live Beyond across California

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Community Science Day

Oakland

Our Live Beyond campaign team connected with youth and families at Community Science Day in partnership with ACEs Aware and UCSF Children’s Hospital, giving out resources about ACEs and toxic stress.

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CalPride

Modesto

We joined this 2SLGBTQIA+ event celebrating the community and Trans Pride in the Central Valley.

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SCOE Centers of Wellness Workshop

Sacramento

This event focused on school wellness transformation, hosted by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Administration.

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3rd AV Mental Health Awareness Day and You Are Enough Walk

Palmdale

Live Beyond presented and sent supplies to the Erick A. Garcia You Are Enough Foundation Walk, raising awareness of suicide prevention and support for mental health.

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Friday Night Live (FNL) Youth Summit

Anaheim

A gathering that engages youth as active leaders and resources in their communities, FNL is a youth-adult partnership that supports a lifestyle free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

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UC Well-Being Summit 2024

Los Angeles

Students, staff, and faculty came together to discuss areas of success and room for improvement, to advance health and well-being across the UCLA campus communities.

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Northern ACEs Collaborative (NAC)

Redding

NAC brings together rural Northern California leaders to address trauma and promote resilience in the region through a collaborative approach — by building relationships and sharing, learning, examining, and generating new ideas.

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Tuolumne County Health Fair

Sonora

This fair included exhibits about common health and wellness concerns, including access to care, mental health, addiction, preventing and managing health conditions, physical fitness, eating well, and more.

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Souls of the City: Día de los Muertos Festival

Sacramento

Founded and organized by Sol Collective in partnership with the Center for Sacramento History and the City of Sacramento, the yearly Souls of the City festival is Sacramento’s largest Día de los Muertos celebration.

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California Youth Justice Summit

Garden Grove

This California Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) event brought together juvenile justice system partners to build relationships, learn from each other, and move forward toward the Positive Youth Justice Model.

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Thx Queering

San Francisco

We provided resources for this event for 2SLGBTQIA+ unhoused youth, with a special focus on trans unhoused youth, healing, and “found family.”

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KNWI Cultural Presentation at Stony Creek JUSD

Glenn County

Live Beyond helped fund Kno’Qoti Native Wellness, Inc.’s (KNWI’s) Native American Heritage Month event for Stony Creek Joint Unified School District, which included a cultural awareness workshop and activities, traditional dancers, and food for the community.

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Y2Y Summit

Rancho Cucamonga

High school-aged youth leaders from across California gathered to learn from each other about youth advocacy, peer mentoring, youth-led substance use prevention, and more. Two Live Beyond youth advisors, Julio and Nancy, spoke about ACEs and Stress Busters.

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2024 ACLU State of Student Wellness Town Hall

Los Angeles

Featuring healing and cultural arts activities, this ACLU event brought together students, activists, and professors to share solutions to address the ongoing student mental health crisis.

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Breaking Barriers

Sacramento

This integrated care symposium is dedicated to the well-being of California’s children and youth, sharing best practices and highlighting the work counties and organizations are doing for children, youth, and families.

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Day of the Dead — Canoga Park

Los Angeles

The region’s largest Día de Los Muertos event, this free, family-centric festival in Historic Main Street Canoga Park featured works of local artists, community tent for ofrendas, an Aztec ceremony, and more.

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55th Annual NIEA Convention & Trade Show

Palm Springs

More than 2,000 Native educators, students, tribal leaders, and advocates joined us at the largest Native education convention in the nation. This year’s theme was “Education Sovereignty: A Declaration of Change.”

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Next Generation Tribal Youth Conference

Sacramento

A safe place for Tribal youth, this conference serves as a platform for discussing the juvenile justice system — focusing on prevention and intervention, and addressing the specific mental health and substance use challenges they face. 

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Chinese New Year Festival & Parade

San Francisco

We joined the festivities — including the largest parade celebrating the Lunar New Year outside of Asia — where we gave out free healing journals and other helpful resources.

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San Diego Wave

San Diego

Live Beyond partnered with San Diego’s NWSL team to promote the campaign at games and youth tournaments — presenting at halftime, hosting a social media contest, giving out swag, and more.

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National Urban League

Los Angeles

We partnered with civil rights organization National Urban League for an event that took place at Audubon Middle School, offering support to students who are involved in the foster care system. 

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How else can CYBHI support you?

Need help now?

If you or someone you care about is experiencing thoughts of suicide, 988 can support you in your immediate crisis, and connect you with follow-up resources. Open 24/7 and 100% free of charge. Confidential. Judgment free. Share only what you want. English and Spanish.

Wondering what happens when you call 988? Watch the explainer video or hear other people’s stories at the Never a Bother campaign: https://neverabother.org/get-help-now/#988

Just need to talk to someone who understands?

Real LIFE help from real LIVE people. Always free. Parents and youth can call, text and chat 855-4APARENT (1-855-427-2736) for emotional support and referrals in English, Spanish, and other languages, every day from 8am to 8pm.

The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, and depression. The peer counselors provide support and guidance to additional resources. Call or text the CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-HOPE (4673)

Interested in wellness coaching?

For schools, health care programs, or community organizations, hiring a Certified Wellness Coach gives students access to high-quality support, which helps them lead happier, healthier lives.

For more information about making Certified Wellness Coaches a part of your team, visit cawellnesscoach.org/for-wellness-coach-employers/ or download the Certified Wellness Coach Employer Resource guide.

Interested in a career in wellness coaching? Visit cawellnesscoach.org/

Learn how to recognize signs of trauma and stress

Built-up emotions like anxiety, anger, and sadness are all connected to your stress response. These emotions and unhelpful thought patterns can build up until you hit a breaking point. Visit Take Space to Pause to learn more and create a custom plan that will show you how to take space to pause and feel better.

For free, online training designed to help individuals working with children or youth recognize and respond to signs of trauma or stress, visit Safe Spaces.

Get personalized support with our apps

BrightLife Kids app

Free and confidential coaching and resources for California families. Kids ages 0–12 and their parents or caregivers can access services in English and Spanish. Coaches are also experienced in LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.

Soluna app

Free and confidential mental health coaching and resources for 13- to 25-year-olds. Chat 1:1 with a professional coach, use interactive tools to de-stress, or explore quizzes, videos, forums, and more.

Contact us

    Get involved
    Visit our Campaign Resources page to download our campaign toolkit with resources to share with family, friends, and community.