The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) set out to reimagine behavioral health across California—but despite unprecedented investment, one critical question loomed: How do we ensure youth voices truly drive the change meant to serve them?

Public health campaigns too often defaulted to adult assumptions, missing cultural nuance, identity representation, and the lived experiences of the youth population most affected by mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health inequities.

Without intentional, structured youth integration, the risk was real:

• Campaigns could fail to resonate with the target audience.
• Stigma and disengagement could deepen.
• Opportunities to build a sustainable, youth-centered system could be lost. 

KAIP didn’t start by prescribing solutions. We began with structured listening, bringing empathy, systems thinking, and co-creation to every conversation. Through cross-agency planning, cultural competency mapping, and inclusive outreach design, the Youth Co-Lab was built with intention and integrity. 

Discovery Highlights: 

• Engaged youth, CDPH-OHE leaders, and KAIP divisions in collaborative planning. 

• Assessed legal, logistical, and cultural barriers to equitable youth participation (especially for minors). 

• Identified needs for trauma-informed hiring protocols, culturally representative recruitment, and safe spaces for storytelling and design input. 

These early insights laid the foundation for a program that reflects both youth authenticity and operational excellence. 

As relationships deepened, a new culture emerged—grounded in trust, transparency, and transformational learning.

Shared Governance: Youth Co-Lab leaders serve on cross-functional planning calls, content reviews, and vendor feedback sessions—contributing more than perspectives: they shape strategy.

Real-Time Learning Loops: Quarterly retrospectives, surveys, and focus groups allow for adaptive governance and responsive engagement planning.

Multi-Disciplinary Support: KAIP integrated HR, IT, and Operations teams to ensure all youth—regardless of background—have equitable access to tools, training, and timekeeping systems.  

The youth didn't just attend these events - they led the transformation of how public health interventions are conceived, designed, and implemented across all participating campaigns. In addition to the impact that the Youth Co-Lab members have made on the CDPH system, the work has also brought memorable, life-changing opportunities for many participants, including their first time:

• undergoing media training,
• delivering a keynote speech,
• taking a work trip,
• flying on an airplane,
• staying in a hotel,
• having their own hotel room,
• traveling without family,
• participating in a panel discussion,
• completing a press interview,
• and even trying Indian food.

For some, they had to push through significant anxiety and self-doubt to step into these leadership roles, making their accomplishments even more meaningful as they discovered their own capabilities and resilience. Beyond the immediate impact on public health campaigns, these experiences were intentionally designed to set youth up for personal growth and professional development.

To further support their development, participants engaged in the NeuroColor assessment and career coaching, receiving formal professional growth plans and one-to-one support with future-planning through a trauma-informed youth development model.

This comprehensive approach ensured that while the youth were leading transformation in public health interventions, they were simultaneously building the skills, confidence, and professional networks necessary for their own long-term success and continued growth as change agents in the public health landscape.