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By Lauren Sutter
At a time when youth mental health challenges are rising across Milwaukee, a group of local teens are stepping up to lead the conversation.
On April 30 at the PEAK Initiative, Milwaukee youth launched 1More, a campaign built over the past 18 months to confront the stigma surrounding mental health head-on, spark honest conversation, and push people toward connection, understanding, and meaningful action. The message is grounded in their own experiences and the belief that one more text, one more call, or one more conversation can make a real difference.
The campaign was introduced alongside community leaders including Gary Mueller of Serve Marketing, State Representative Dora Drake, Mary Madden of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, and Emani Taylor of INPOWER, who joined youth ambassadors in sharing why this work matters now.
In Wisconsin, more than half of high school students report experiencing anxiety, and nearly one in five teens have seriously considered suicide. For the youth behind 1More, those statistics are personal and they’re driving action. As one ambassador shared, “Those small moments…are some of the most important…to prevent those very severe instances.”
Rather than a traditional awareness campaign, 1More reflects how young people actually support each other, through honest, direct communication. “It doesn’t feel like a campaign—it feels like a friend reaching out,” said Mary Madden.
Beyond its message, the campaign has also created opportunity. The teens involved worked alongside marketing professionals to develop strategy, shape creative, and bring the campaign to life, gaining confidence and exposure to careers they may not have previously considered.
The work will continue across Milwaukee throughout Mental Health Awareness Month and into the summer, with youth leading conversations in schools and communities and encouraging others to check in, speak up, and connect.
Learn more or get involved at 1morecounts.com. Interviews with Youth Ambassadors are available upon request. Media assets are available here.
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About 1More
1More is a youth-led mental health campaign designed to encourage small, meaningful acts of connection that can help prevent isolation and suicide. By empowering young people to support one another and seek help, the campaign aims to create lasting change in how Milwaukee approaches mental health.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.