Pro-activism For Suicide Prevention:
Become an Agent of Impact or a Partner in Prevention
What exactly does it mean to be proactive? At Hope For The Day it means we speak up now. We start the dialogue on mental health in order to normalize the conversation and break a stigma that has conditioned us to be silent about our internal experiences. Reactive approaches, like waiting until an individual has completed suicide to address the topic, do not prevent suicide. Suicide is a mental health crisis that is preventable. As activists for proactive suicide prevention we refuse to wait until after crisis occurs to talk about mental health.
Hope For The Day is recruiting activists to join us in reducing suicide rates. Our Agents of Impact and Partners in Prevention include individuals and businesses who work to prevent suicide by raising the visibility of resources and educating communities on mental health care. The more activists who devote themselves to being proactive instead of reactive, the more people we reach before suicide completion.
Mental health impacts everyone. It has no prejudice and all races, cultures, sexualities, genders, ages, and social classes are affected by it. There is no reason why our friends, family members, and neighbors should live in silence. In fact, one of the highest risk factors of suicide is the silence of stigma because it results in a lack of visible resources and an inability to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health challenges.
When an individual has not learned how to deal with a mental health challenge and they feel they can’t speak out or don’t know how or where to reach out for help, pressure builds up until a point of crisis is reached. But there are ways to release this pressure before it explodes. If we teach ourselves and others how to recognize changes in behavioral patterns and identify signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, we can reach individuals before these challenges escalate. We will reduce suicide rates when we eliminate the highest risk factors and address mental health before crisis.
You have the power to make a difference. Our Agents of Impact raise the visibility of resources; pushing the conversation on mental health, sharing experiences, giving representation to unique mental health challenges, volunteering to hand out information at events, and educating the community on mental health care. Our Partners in Prevention are businesses and organizations—like Dark Matter Coffee, Live Nation, and Vans Warped Tour—that raise the visibility of resources by donating proceeds for educational programming and providing field outreach opportunities. By becoming an Agent of Impact or a Partner in Prevention you will join over 800 global activists committed to Hope For The Day’s pro-activism. The more we share, the more we reach, and the more we discover we are in this together.
For more information on how to become an Agent of Impact or a Partner in Prevention visit the "Get Involved" tab on our website.
IT'S OK NOT TO BE OK
If you or someone you know needs help, reach out;
Crisis Text Line
TEXT “ITSOK” TO 741741 (Available 24/7)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255(TALK) - Press 1 for Veterans Line
The Trevor Project LGBT Lifeline
866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) (Available 24/7)