The Class of 26: making youth suicide a shared reality
How a Dutch suicide-prevention campaign turned a monthly statistic into a national reckoning within 24 hours.
AMSTERDAM, januari 2026 - Every month, 26 young people in the Netherlands die by suicide; the equivalent of an average school classroom. Despite being the leading cause of death in this age group, the statistic has remained unchanged for years. To break this silence, the 113 Suicide Prevention Foundation, agency N=5, and a collective of 50+ creative professionals have launched "Lessons for Life" (Lessen voor het Leven).
Developed over a year in close coordination with bereaved families and suicide prevention experts, the campaign has moved from family kitchen tables to the Dutch Parliament within 24 hours, sparking a national conversation on a long-ignored taboo.
When numbers became people
At the heart of the campaign is a confronting, nostalgic image: a class photo of 26 young people. All lost to suicide. By visualizing a monthly statistic as a familiar school image, Lessons for Life makes absence visible and forces the viewer to reckon with what the numbers truly mean.
Alongside the image, bereaved families share their Lessons for Life: intimate reflections on early warning signs, personal memories, and the realities behind the data. Their testimonies shift collective mourning into a tool for prevention. All stories are brought together on an interactive platform: www.lessenvoorhetleven.com.
Designed with care
From the outset, clinical safety and ethics were not checkpoints, but design principles. Developed over the course of a year in close collaboration with bereaved families and suicide-prevention experts, every creative decision was shaped to ensure responsible storytelling.
Immediate cultural and political impact
The campaign set out to achieve two goals: to shatter a long-standing taboo and to ignite a national dialogue. Within 24 hours, Lessons for Life became a leading topic across national news and prime-time television. Thousands shared personal stories on social media, creating a wave of public response that extended beyond culture and into politics.
The visibility of the campaign led to formal parliamentary inquiries into youth mental health, a rare moment in which a creative idea triggered immediate political action.
For the families involved, the project offers purpose and legacy. Their children are remembered not only for how their lives ended, but for the lives their stories may still help save. As one family shared: “If we save just one life, our mission is a success.”
The power of the creative collective
Led by N=5, Lessons for Life united more than 50 specialists and partners, including The Committed Agency, Martin van Zwol, Merlin Studio, and Nozem Films, in an unprecedented pro-bono collaboration addressing a national crisis.
“Suicide prevention doesn’t begin with passive emotion. It begins with active normalization,” says Anne Stokvis, Creative Partner at N=5 and board member of 113 Fonds. “This campaign was built to move people into that conversation, because that’s where creativity can actually save lives.”
Beyond driving public dialogue, Lessons for Life functions as a fundraiser for scientific research into the root causes of youth suicide. The campaign continues to roll out nationwide across television, cinema, out-of-home, and digital channels.
Note to Editors: Suicide Prevention Resources
Netherlands: Contact 113 Suicide Prevention via 113.nl or call 113 (free)
USA: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
UK: Call 111 or contact Samaritans at 116 123
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Press Assets: High-resolution, rights-free imagery of 'Lessons for life' is available for editorial use. Download the assets via https://app.cube-cloud.com/share-link/344d599f or contact us directly for requests.
