The week of September 8^th-14^th is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Week, with Tuesday, September 10^th marking World Suicide Prevention Day.  This year’s theme is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide.”  The attached guide was developed to support statewide, county, and local efforts to commemorate this important month.  In the guide, you’ll find ideas for suicide prevention awareness, a sample proclamation, helpful language to use when talking about suicide, and a variety of other suicide prevention resources.

Social media campaigns such as The Jason Foundation’s #iwontbesilent challenge are a great way to engage youth as leaders in starting conversations about suicide.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s #BeThe1To message can also be shared widely to help spread the word about the actions we can all take to help prevent suicide.  Consider promoting one of these campaigns or working with local partners to start a campaign tailored to your community.  Additional ideas, along with sample social media posts, are included in the attached resource document.

Thank you for taking the time to consider how you can build partnerships in your community to advance suicide prevention efforts.  It is only in working together that we can #stopsuicide.

Sincerely,

Jana Marie Foundation
https://www.janamariefoundation.org/ 

Prevent Suicide PA
http://preventsuicidepa.org/ 

Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant
https://www.preventsuicidepa.org/gls/ 

Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services (PNSAS)
http://pnsas.org/ 

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