Suicide prevention and awareness are critical to saving lives and fostering support, inclusion, and empowerment. By highlighting the importance of these issues, we can break the stigma surrounding mental health, offer resources to those in need, and create a compassionate culture where individuals feel empowered to seek help. Raising awareness not only educates communities but also encourages early intervention, providing hope and support.
Suicide Prevention Month: September
September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and preventing suicide. This month serves as an important reminder to break the stigma surrounding mental illness, encourage open conversations, and offer support to those who may be struggling. By commemorating this month, we aim to foster a culture of understanding and compassion, ensuring that everyone has access to the help they need.
Schools can honor Suicide Prevention Month by hosting activities that promote mental well-being and create safe spaces for students to talk about their feelings. By engaging in these activities, schools can help foster an environment where students feel empowered to reach out for help and support one another.
Some ideas include:
- Organizing workshops or assemblies with mental health professionals to educate students, staff, and parents/caregivers on recognizing signs of distress and where to seek help.
- Hosting peer support programs or buddy systems that encourage students to check in on one another.
- Creating art or writing projects where students can express their thoughts on mental health and the importance of supporting each other.
- Wearing a specific color (like yellow) or sharing suicide prevention resources to show solidarity.
Resources & Hotlines
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States and its territories. The 988 Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining local care and resources with national standards and best practices.
SPORT provides training, support, and resources to implement a sustainable system to deliver suicide prevention, intervention, postvention, and social emotional learning content to school leaders. Additionally, this project braids in support for Local Educational Agencies to align local services and plans to the California Statewide Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) initiative. The focus of the training series is to develop and guide site and district-level teams to develop the knowledge and skills to provide high-quality professional development, focused on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth, families, and school community in their multi-tiered system of support. High-quality professional learning is offered at no cost. Participants receive training on how to align local services and plans to AB 2246 and AB 1767.
Erika’s Lighthouse: Depression and Suicide Prevention Curriculum, Resources, and Support
Erika’s Lighthouse mission is to make sure no young person feels alone in their depression. We are dedicated to creating a community of empathy and education. We create upper elementary, middle school and high school mental health, depression and suicide awareness programs so educators, families and teens can create safe spaces to learn about mental health, letting students know they are never alone, and there is somewhere to turn.
