Physical Health United States Project #6900

Help reduce US youth suicide

by Inspire USA Foundation

Project Report | Oct 13, 2011
Reaching Out During Suicide Prevention Month

By Meredith Schneider | Youth Council Member

In the U.S., ReachOut council members were hard at work bringing ideas from our summer summit to a reality. To start off the month, Nicholas made a Suicide Prevention Day flyer to raise awareness about the cause, and handed the flyer out at his local farmers’ market. Meanwhile, Lauren participated in a community service scavenger hunt at her school to teach her classmates about suicide prevention and Chloe did a series of interviews with Broadway stars, and posted them on the ReachOut.com blog. Meredith also spoke with several entertainers, including producer Colby Wedgeworth and members of the pop group, The Relay Company, to find out their perspectives on healthier lifestyles.

In the digital space, Brandon hosted a Facebook event on September 10th, Suicide Prevention Day, asking people to share their own messages of hope. Participants posted to the hashtag #whenindoubt, followed by anecdotes to help strangers persevere through difficult times. This effort also trended through Twitter, and some of the posts were chosen to appear on the official ReachOut website. Some anecdotes included: “#WhenInDoubt Remember that you're beautiful, loved, and cared for by many” and ”#whenindoubt laugh!”

Brandon himself posted “#whenindoubt don't forget there are always people who care starting with me” to support event members.

Besides being National Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th also happened to be Free Fest in Baltimore, a free concert put on by Virgin Mobile to raise awareness about youth homelessness. Inspire staff members Emily and Anastasia attended and set up a tent to educate attendees about ReachOut.com. More photos of the event are posted on the ReachOut Flickr account.

Catherine, council member and co-founder of MyYearbook.com, wrote a MyMag article focusing on Suicide Prevention Day. Her opening paragraph include startling statistics and addressed the relevancy of our cause. The article is available to MyYearbook members.

Links:

Inspire USA Site with new opening photos featuring RO Council

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