BAKERSFIELD, CA. — Today Living Works Youth Summit will hold a live stream event to shine a light on mental health and suicide prevention for middle and high school students and teacher.

“Several years ago suicide was the third leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24 and now that has moved up to the second leading cause of death so we need to take action," said Monica Nepomuceno, California Department of Education.

In today’s world, California Department of Education has had to put mental health at the forefront of initiatives for this school year.

“What a lot of my peers are dealing with is either learning how to navigate these hard situations or giving up and I think that's common in online learning," said Cyn Gomez, Youth Summit Speaker.

Today the CDE will partner with the Living Works Youth Summit to bring entertainment and conversation surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.

“Whether or not your student or you are struggling with mental illness there is more likely than not someone around you who is and it manifests in different ways. Whether you are seeking help or being an advocate or ally for your loved one that can be a powerful move toward having a more constructive conversation around mental health," said Gomez.

The summit is free and open to all middle and high school students and staff in California. The CDE has promoted the event to school districts, even as a class assignment.

“They can find ways to integrate this into their curriculum students can write an essay or reflect on the summit and training," said Nepomuceno.

Registration for the event is open until it begins at 1 p.m. today.