raising mental health awareness on campus
Suicide Prevention Panel (Fall 2009)
On Thursday, October 8th, Active Minds held a movie showing and panel discussion in Kirby 104 in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week. The over fifty people who attended the event first watched a short excerpt of Eric Steel's suicide documentary, The Bridge (http://www.thebridge-themovie.com/new/index.html). Following the clip, three families who had lost young adults to suicide shared their personal stories. Students were then invited to have an open discussion with the suicide survivors. After the discussion, Dr. Karen Forbes, Active Minds' faculty adviser and director of the Lafayette Counseling Center, spoke to students about helping a friend who might be struggling and shared data about mental health issues on Lafayette's campus. Andrew Loiacano, one of the speakers at the event, created this handout, which provided students with information about suicide prevention, helping and understand a suicide survivor, and being happy and successful in your own life - LAFAYETTE COLLEGE PANEL DISCUSSION ON SUICIDE.doc.
As a result of the donations made at the Stomp Out Stigma Run, Active Minds was able to make a three $38 donations to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in honor of the three young men whose families spoke at the event.
Thank you again to all of our speakers who so generously devoted their time and so willingly opened up to help continue to change the conversation about mental health at Lafayette.