Exploring the people, partnerships, and ideas creating meaningful change across California and beyond.

Presenting at NACCHO360

This year marked The Changery's first opportunity to present at NACCHO360, and we couldn't be more grateful to share the stage with incredible partners and practitioners from across the country. Conferences like NACCHO360 remind us that the most impactful ideas are built through collaboration and shared learning.

Our Director of Communications, Jasmin Flores, joined Monterey County Health Department colleagues Lizett Covarrubias and Vivian Ávila at the 2026 NACCHO360 conference in Louisville, Kentucky, to present Racing Forward, Rewriting the Rules: Youth-Driven Harm-Reduction Campaigns That Work.

The session explored why public health messaging for young people has to evolve. From a "Hot Girl Summer" DUI awareness campaign to condom-themed naloxone distribution efforts, the team shared how Monterey County’s Decoded campaign used culturally relevant, unapologetically direct harm-reduction campaigns to spark record engagement and meaningful behavior change among youth.

Public health messages that try to play it safe often go unnoticed. Campaigns that are community-driven, relevant, and designed with young people in mind are the ones that capture attention and make an impact. If we had the chance to meet you in Louisville, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, we'd love to connect.

To learn more, contact Jasmin Flores at Jasmin@thesocialchangery.com

CYBHI: A Milestone Moment

On June 29, the Governor's Office released new statewide results from CYBHI, California's more than $4 billion investment in expanding behavioral health care, strengthening the workforce, and supporting schools, families, and communities. The announcement highlighted the CYBHI Legacy Report, Advancing Behavioral Health: From Moment to Movement, along with a series of independent evaluations. The results show more than 1,600 organizations leading over 2,000 behavioral health activities across California, more than 70,000 people supported along the behavioral health workforce pathway, and public awareness campaigns that have generated over 4 billion impressions. An independent evaluation by Mathematica also found youth behavioral health care use at its highest recorded level since 2016–17, alongside declines in youth suicidal ideation, suicide deaths, and chronic absenteeism related to mental health.

CYBHI has been shaped by the collective efforts of youth, families, community organizations, state partners, and countless others working toward a shared vision for California’s children and young people. As an implementation partner, the Changery had the privilege of supporting this work by convening the Children, Youth, and Family Network (CYFN), a statewide coalition of community-based organizations that elevates youth, family, and community voices to inform behavioral health transformation. Drawing on feedback from the CYFN and partners across California, we developed the Youth at the Center Progress Report, which examines how CYBHI investments align with the 12 calls to action identified by more than 600 youth, families, and community members. Our Senior Collective Impact Manager, Dayna Barrios, was also featured in the Governor's release, highlighting how statewide campaigns are changing conversations around mental health by reaching young people with messages created by their own communities.

While the investments of CYBHI marked a milestone moment supporting the behavioral health of youth and families in California, the work began and will be carried forward by the community. For that reason, alongside the final report, a series of practical toolkits were developed to help community organizations, advocates, and partners continue building on the progress made through CYBHI. Designed to be used, adapted, and shared, these resources are intended to keep community voices at the center as we continue the work of behavioral health transformation, together.

Elevate Youth California Convening

For years, Elevate Youth California (EYC) has invested in young people and community-based organizations across California, supporting youth-led efforts to prevent substance use through leadership, advocacy, and civic engagement. Led by the Center at Sierra Health Foundation and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), this work has helped create opportunities for young people to shape healthier, more connected communities.

We're honored to build on that foundation through the Collective Action Project, a nine-month initiative that brings an added focus to storytelling, narrative change, and civic engagement. Rather than starting something new, our role is to support and strengthen the incredible work already happening in communities by helping young people tell the stories that inspire action and influence change.

Our kickoff convening on July 7th was an opportunity to meet the remarkable young people and organizations leading this work every day. While we love teaching storytelling, narrative strategy, and civic engagement, the greatest privilege is listening. The most powerful stories aren't created for young people; they're created by them. We're grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside this dedicated group and can't wait to see the stories they'll share.

From Policy to Practice: Supporting Community-Centered Implementation

California's behavioral health system is entering a new phase as the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) moves from policy into implementation. For counties, community organizations, and state partners, the focus is shifting from planning to practice in ways that reflect the needs, strengths, and priorities of the communities they serve. For many organizations, that also means navigating new expectations, translating evolving guidance into day-to-day practice, and determining what meaningful implementation looks like within their own communities.

At The Changery, we help create the conditions for meaningful implementation. That means bringing the right people together, facilitating authentic community engagement, and helping organizations translate policy into action in ways that reflect the needs and priorities of the communities they serve. We are grateful to partner with the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) to convene the statewide Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF)—a vital group of behavioral health leaders helping to navigate BHSA implementation. As facilitators for BHTF, we bring together leaders across sectors to strengthen collaboration, share emerging insights, identify implementation challenges, and develop resources and recommendations that support partners across California.

Building on that experience, we partner with counties, coalitions, and community organizations to design engagement strategies, facilitate collaborative planning, develop communications, and support implementation processes that keep community at the center. Our role isn't to bring all the answers—it's to help create the spaces, partnerships, and conversations that allow communities and systems to move forward together.

If your organization is navigating BHSA implementation and could benefit from facilitation, community engagement, implementation planning, or strategic communications support, we'd welcome the opportunity to connect. Contact Lisa Smusz at Lisa@thesocialchangery.com.

Trust Is Hard to Build Right Now. Shared Purpose Still Works.

Budget cuts, abrupt funding terminations, and uncertainty about the future have left many organizations scrambling to serve their communities. Trust is challenging on every level—between funders and providers, agencies and communities, and people and systems. If you're working to build trust with communities, navigate complex change, or engage people who have historically felt unheard, we'd love to explore how we can support your work. Building trust doesn't always begin with agreement. It begins with a shared purpose. Coalition-building is the foundation of how we do our work: helping people find common ground and move important work forward, together.