On February 26, 2026, 100 teen advocates from Zero Reasons Why Campaign implementations across Kansas gathered at the State Capitol for Prevention Advocacy Day. This year was our biggest turnout yet, with Zero Reasons Why teens and adult volunteers accounting for nearly half of the total event attendees.
Organized by PreventionWorKS and the Kansas Prevention Collaborative, Prevention Advocacy Day is an annual event that brings youth and adults together to start conversations, build connections and unite the state’s efforts to normalize help-seeking support by promoting hope and prevention strategies. This year’s event theme was “Voices in Action: Prevention Starts with Us”—a call to action to connect a variety of community advocacy and prevention experiences through storytelling.
The day began at the Beacon event venue, where Deputy Secretary for Programs at Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Andrew Brown, welcomed everyone to the event and delivered opening remarks. The morning session featured a youth panel that included teen advocates from Zero Reasons Why and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). Together, they shared strong insights on mental health advocacy, suicide prevention, and substance use prevention, reinforcing the need for proactive policies and community support. After the panel Benjamin Meier, Director of Prevention and Community Engagement at Mirror, Inc., closed the morning with an energizing kickoff before the group headed to the Statehouse.
At the Capitol, the teens spent the afternoon meeting with legislators from across the state, sharing their personal stories and perspectives around teen mental health and suicide prevention. After spending months preparing for this important day, the teens ensured that their voices were heard on critical issues affecting mental health and prevention efforts in Kansas. They spoke about the pressures they face, the gaps they see and the support they believe students and families need. For many teens in attendance, this was their first time speaking directly to policymakers, and they did so with confidence and clarity.
Additional highlights of the day included the opportunity to speak with and snap a group photo with Governor Laura Kelly. Teens also had an unforgettable tour of the Capitol Dome—296 spiral steps up to the top! Fun fact: the Kansas Statehouse is the only U.S. capitol building where the public can go to the top of the dome and walk along the outside balcony for a birds-eye-view of the city.
Reflecting on the experience, Zero Reasons Why Campaign Manager, Georgie Mings shared,
“For me, the most powerful part of Advocacy Day this year was seeing teens from all over Kansas come together around an issue that touches all of us—mental health and suicide prevention. No matter their background or community, each student carried a personal connection to this topic, and they showed incredible courage and unity in speaking up.”
Prevention Advocacy Day is always an incredible opportunity for young leaders to make an impact—and this year was no different. Young people from across the state are using their stories and voices to connect with lawmakers and advocate for better mental health policies for themselves and their peers. We’re grateful to those who make this day possible each year, including PreventionWorksKS and the Kansas Prevention Collaborative.
Teens left feeling heard, respected and energized to keep making a difference in their schools and communities by removing the stigma of mental health and preventing teen suicide. As one teen attendee shared,
“Getting to share what we see in our day to day lives with representatives that could make the change was impactful. We were able to see the perspective of metal health from other people’s eyes—listening to what other people see and hear in their schools and how it’s the same or different from mine.”
We’re already counting down the days until Advocacy Day 2027!
