The first stop on the Spring 2012 tour greeted us with great weather and a fantastically supportive chapter and community.
Jordan Burnham, a member of the Active Minds Speakers Bureau, spoke at The Perch on campus the night before with a turnout of over 200 students and faculty. He shared his story of struggling with depression and how his suicide attempt started his recovery toward sharing his story today.
There are a lot of things that can affect or inspire someone to become a positive mental health advocate. For some, like Jordan, it was a personal experience that inspired them to change their lives and to help others that may be struggling. For others, inspiration came from the struggles that friends and family members had.
We asked people on St Joseph’s campus what provoked them to take an interest in mental health and becoming an advocate:
Send Silence Packing is on college campuses as a resource to inspire students, faculty, and community members to get involved and give those struggling a voice. Community resources on the campus included: Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment, Delaware County Suicide Prevention Awareness, Main Line Health, and the local National Alliance on Mental Health.
On St Joseph’s campus, many students were quick to sign up to be a part of Active Minds and were interested in knowing how they can help. Local high school students came to view the display, and several fraternity members volunteered throughout the day. Many of these students described the display as “eye opening” and “amazing” and wanted to know how they can be heard in support of mental health and suicide awareness.
Remembering what got you started in becoming a voice for mental health is important in the work that everyone continues to do. If you’re still waiting for that moment, right now is your opportunity.
As a teacher, I often worry that I am contributing to a student’s feeling of despair when I hand back tests and papers with miserable grades. There is a fine line between telling the truth and driving a nail in a coffin. I was not surprised to learn that teachers suffer a high rate of depression, along with doctors. If I try hard, I can always thInk of something encouraging to do or say in the classroom. God help me to try harder.
Wonderful blog post, pictures, and FANTASTIC video! So, so amazing!! Keep up the great work!
Powerful video!
Particularly on our college campus (Temple University), spring is welcomed with open arms. It only takes one glance to notice that the entire atmosphere of the campus changes along with the flaura and fona. Students either play Frisbee, lay out on ‘the beach’, hang out on Liacouras walk or fill the numerous benches; all with laughter and appreciation for the season of ‘new beginnings’. Like myself, many students are most likely unaware that spring is ‘the suicide season’ and many are unaware of the incidence of college student suicide.
Students for Students Suicide Prevention is similar to Send Silence Packing in the focus to prevent suicide on college campuses and raise awareness through various means. Unfortunately, the Send Silence Packing spring tours have already been scheduled but Students for Students Suicide Prevention extends an open invitation to schedule a tour in the fall for Temple University. This would continue both of our efforts in raising awareness about the incidence and impact of college student suicide and help people understand how they can be part of the solution.
Temple University main campus is a temporary home to thousands of students with so many groups and organizations vying for attention, suicide awareness efforts on campus need your impactful outdoor exhibit. After all, your blog says it best, “preventing suicide is not just about lowering statistics, but about saving lives.”
-Students for Students Suicide Prevention (students4studentsSP@gmail.com)
What a powerful week for students in Philadelphia! I hope those who weren’t able to make it to this display will be able to come out to Love Park on May 7th!