This past Mother’s Day weekend we were granted the pleasure of hosting Send Silence Packing at Fairfax Corner in Fairfax County, Virginia. This display was made possible by The Josh Anderson Foundation and allowed us to connect directly with younger audiences and their parents.

Unlike our other city displays hosted in the center of a bustling metropolis, we set up shop in the heart of a very busy shopping center called the Grand Plaza. This open pavilion had a feature called an interactive fountain, which replicated what many of us would call “a good run in the sprinkler” on a much larger scale.  This mini water park, which usually serves as a focal point in the Grand Plaza, brought a steady flow of parents and children of all ages through the display. One of the many things I loved about this display location is that it gave parents the opportunity to start the conversation with their children, regardless of their age. I recall a story of a family walking through, and the mother periodically checking in with her young son with a simple – “Let me know if you have any questions.”

The overall reaction of the community was also highly receptive, given the holiday weekend. Here we were, using public space in the middle of a very busy shopping center on probably one of the busiest days of the year for consumers and people were taking the time out of their day to interact with the display and learn more about what they can do to play a part in prevention. Being in this location also gave us the chance to interact with a number of high school students, graduating seniors specifically, who were preparing to make their way to college in the fall. Many of these young people, as well as other local college students, were so inspired by the display that they immediately wanted to learn more about how to be involved with the chapters on their campus.

I want to be sure to share this memory and proof that anyone anywhere can be impacted and motivated to take action, whatever it may look like:

During the morning set-up of the display, a man stopped one of the volunteers and asked a question we almost always hear: “What are all of these backpacks for?” After a brief explanation, he mentioned that he worked at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop not far from the plaza. He said he appreciated what we were doing and was going to let his manager know to stop by and check out the program. A few hours later, the manager arrived with a stack of “free kiddie cone” vouchers and said: “I heard what you all are doing and think it’s fantastic! We wanted to find some way to contribute so for anyone that donates $5 to your cause, give them a voucher and tell them to stop by.”

Lastly, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to the Anderson family and to The Josh Anderson Foundation. Josh’s story is one of the many stories included in our program, and for the day, his story spoke directly to a number of young people. Our target audience was intentionally selected and this display would not have been possible if it weren’t for their support. I appreciated the opportunity to interact with their network and witness the overflowing support of family friends, many of which knew Josh firsthand.

This was an inspiring day with far reaching impact, and I hope to continue this relationship with The Josh Anderson Foundation in our effort to send silence packing and to promote youth mental wellness.

This past monday we finished off the fourth Send Silence Packing tour with another city display. We set up the 1,100 backpacks in the center of Love Park—a popular area in downtown Philadelphia. Setting up in such a public place gives us a chance to reach out to a wider demographic and speak with people that we might not normally interact with on a college campus. These stops are so important because although we do most of our work on campuses, mental health applies to everyone. The stories that are shared with us are not only students, but also parents, grandparents, siblings, children, friends, and neighbors.

Back when we did our first major city display during the first tour, we didn’t quite know what to expect as far as people’s reactions. Every city since then, including our most recent stop in Philadelphia, has shown us that people are willing and excited to help change the conversation about mental health. Whether it’s someone who has struggled with their own mental health issues or someone who has a relative in college, people are consistently eager to educate themselves on what they can do to be a part of this movement. Many people would not only take information for themselves, but take handfuls to distribute in their own workplaces, schools, and homes.

It’s amazing to see the kind of immediate action that Send Silence Packing inspires in people. Early in the afternoon an older man came to the table and asked what all the bags were about. I spent some time talking to him and showing him the resources and information we had. After our talk he went off to read some of the hundreds of personal stories displayed around Love Park. I thought that was the end of our interaction, but 30 minutes later he came back to the table and asked if he could help distribute our flyers and help direct people towards the display. We gave him a T-Shirt, directions on how to tell people about the event, and he then spent the next 4 hours helping to bring hundreds of people towards the display—he even helped pack up the 1,100 backpacks at the end of the day.

It’s interactions that these that can remind us that it’s never too late to take action. This man was simply passing by and decided to do what he was able to spread this message. There are things that we can all do, from anywhere in the world, to support the mental health of ourselves and those around us. I know the phrase is a little corny, but knowledge really is power here—you can take an active role in all of this by taking some time to educate yourself and those around you about mental health. If we can learn about warning signs and ways to stay mentally fit, we can keep an eye out for ourselves and each-other.

This past Thursday we pulled into the scenic Hofstra University in Hempsted, NY. We’ve had pretty fantastic luck regarding weather this tour (other than unusually strong winds), but this day was just under a 50% chance of rain. These forecasts are the most challenging because we like to present the display outdoors whenever possible. After we pulled onto campus we met with several chapter members who showed us both the indoor location and the outdoor location for Send Silence Packing. We absolutely loved the outdoor location, so after a bit of deliberation, we decided to take the risk of a little rain and set up in the quad outdoors. This decision paid off as we didn’t see a single rain drop and were able to share the display with thousands of students passing through.

We were able to reach so many of these people thanks for the fantastic work of both the students and the members of Hofstra’s counseling services who volunteered their time to raising awareness and starting conversations throughout the day. We would constantly look over to see volunteers in long conversations with other students about the display. There were a lot of thoughtful questions being posed, and we were glad to be able to engage with visitors to answer them.

One question that came up often was about what people could continue to do after the display. All of the interactions we have during the day are important and moving in their own ways, but it’s fantastic to see such an interest in continuing the momentum even after we pack up and move on. Several visitors even asked if they could take extra handfuls of our materials to pass out to their classes for anyone that wasn’t able to make it down during the day.

Continuing the conversation is one of the most impactful things that anyone can do any day of the year. It doesn’t cost any money, it only takes as much time as you want, and absolutely anyone can do it. By even being here and taking the time to read about this program you’re showing that you’re interested in continuing the conversation. Thank you for your interest and your attention, and thank you for being a mental health advocate.

It is always a creative experience when chapters provide additional programming at a display. It adds an extra element that gives their campus a unique quality. Send Silence Packing is already a huge statement, so it can be a challenging process to find what will work with the displays. There have been many ways that chapters have chosen to add a flair of individuality to interacting with the display. From having several campus groups at the display to giving away decorated t-shirts, there have been so many ideas that have become a part of the Send Silence Packing displays.

Bard college had a few great activities that we had not seen on the tour before. After we set up, student and staff volunteers began chalking positive messages on the sidewalks that went through the display. Brandon and I had a conversation about this exact activity a few days before we were at Bard and were happily surprised to see that the Bard chapter had the same idea.

In the morning Ashley Boltrushek, the Active Minds at Bard advisor, explained to myself and the students about the Mandala that we would have by the tables during the display. We spread a white sheet on the ground and had several items in cups on the corners of the sheet. The items included: seashells, wooden beads, marbles, flowers, and other various pieces. The idea of the mandala was to have people add pieces to the sheet to make a design. These items would carry any kind of thoughts or feelings, good or bad, that someone had when adding to the mandala. Once the display was over and the mandala was taken apart, the thoughts that were associated with the items were released into the universe. It was a very calming activity and provided an experience associated with a sense of relieving any feelings into the world.

Bard also added a backpack to the display, as most of the chapters do when Send Silence Packing is at their campus. The backpack they donate was included in another activity that people were encouraged to take part in. There was paper set up with markers, crayons, and colored pencils and instructions to create any kind of positive message or art to travel with the backpack.

Many students took this activity as a chance to send messages of hope and support. It is another way that a sense of comfort is set into the display. Suicide is a very heavy topic and Send Silence Packing is working hard to make sure it is taken seriously. But there is something personal about hearing words of encouragement from strangers. Reading stories from people that have lost a loved one to suicide is a very emotional experience and it is always a good balance to have words of hope to read as well from chapters across the United States.

Even after reading many statements of support while touring, I still find myself impacted by the kind words of others that I have not heard before. Here are a few of the comments from the Bard backpack:

“I was afraid – now I’m not. I spoke and I’m not alone.”

“Life is full of mysteries. Just remember that we can surprise ourselves … Let the universe surprise you.”

“Despues de la tormenta viene la calma” … which translates to: “After the storm comes the calm.”

Having activities like this on campus during the display usually has a double impact. People are helping themselves by creatively expressing their support for others. It is therapeutic for the person creating, and inspirational for the stranger seeing that creation for the first time. One message can be the thing that changes someone’s mind about finally reaching out to a friend, or taking steps in the right direction to help themselves.

When I was reading through the journal entries of thoughts and comments added at Smith College, I came across one that said “Stopped me in my tracks today. Thank you for bringing awareness.” Another mentioned that reading the stories on the backpacks was just what they needed after a particularly difficult and stressful week leading up to the end of the semester. Send Silence Packing has this wonderful ability to be accessible to anyone whether they are just becoming aware of the issue or if they’re well aware of it and eager to continue spreading the message.

We’ve been lucky to be a part of the team that has brought this program to both coasts and dozens of places in between, and no matter where we go, there’s hundreds of people ready to either begin or continue talking about mental health. For the people just learning about the issue it usually starts with a question like “what’s with all the bags?” There are a lot of times when that same person will end up mentioning a connection they have with the subject after we explain the display.

Mental health is interesting in the sense that it is so ubiquitous—every person has it—but not everyone is comfortable talking about it (yet). Everywhere we go, however, we can see this changing. More and more people are becoming aware that it’s not only okay to be aware of and talk about mental health, but that it’s essential—both for yourself and for those around you. Later in the afternoon I spoke with a visitor that told me she never really knew that it was “ok” to talk about this kind of stuff. After a short conversation she went off to class, only to bring back other friends later in the day so they could see it for themselves. This is just one example of the simple actions we can all take to help continue with this forward momentum.