Schools

Aevidum’s goal is to create a positive mental health environment, a culture of “I Got Your Back” in schools and communities across the nation by forming Aevidum chapters and by empowering youth. The Aevidum message is delivered creatively through a series of student-generated materials, interactive displays, high-energy assemblies, community events, music, artwork, stories, and PSAs, etc.

Jana Marie Foundation empowers young people, especially young women in their teens, to make positive choices, practice self-respect and maintain healthy relationships by providing opportunities for personal growth and self-expression. Through active community engagement and programs like The Stompers Project® and Candid Conversations video series, JMF works to promote mental health and prevent suicide in schools and communities.

The Jason Foundation is dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide through educational and awareness programs. Including resources specifically for students.

The Minding Your Mind Foundation leads initiatives that reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues among adolescents in middle school, high school and college. Their outreach programs enlighten students, families and educators about the warning signs of mental health issues that are so often masked by adolescent behavior. By promoting open dialogue at school and at home, these programs encourage young adults and families to seek the appropriate help.

Nemours Foundation: Special section for Teens, with information on a variety of topics, including suicide.

SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) Information and resources for Suicide prevention.  Organization based on foundation that suicide should no longer be considered a hidden or taboo topic and that through raising awareness and educating the public, we can SAVE lives.

Visit our Act 71 page for full information, including free training resources.

SPRC’s Grantee and State Initiatives Team has pulled together the following short list of key resources that may help you in supporting schools, parents, and communities, as well as key information on safe and effective ways of messaging about suicide risk and prevention as you and your partners respond.

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) has created a School Suicide Prevention Accreditation Program for school psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, and all others dedicated to or responsible for reducing the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviors among today’s school-age youth.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has educational resources for professionals including More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention Education for Teachers and Other School Personnel, designed to help educators better understand suicidal behavior in adolescents, including its causes, treatment and prevention. This program has also been added to the Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention (October 1, 2010).

Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Assists high schools and school districts in designing and implementing strategies to prevent suicide and promote behavioral health. Includes tools to implement a multi-faceted suicide prevention program that responds to the needs and cultures of students.

This document describes a five-year vision for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) work to prevent fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior. The strategic direction we propose is to prevent suicidal behavior by building and strengthening connectedness or social bonds within and among persons, families, and communities.

Utilizing a multi-level systems approach, this book includes step-by-step guidelines for developing crisis teams and prevention programs, assessing and intervening with suicidal youth, and working with families and community organizations during and after a suicidal crisis. (Please note that Dr. Erbacher is on the Executive Committee of PAYSPI and Dr. Singer is on the PAYSPI Advisory Board. No proceeds from the sale of this book go to PAYSPI.)

After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools, from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2011; includes an overview of key considerations, general guidelines for action, do’s and don’ts, templates and sample materials, in an easily-accessible format.

Utilizing a multi-level systems approach, this book includes step-by-step guidelines for developing crisis teams and prevention programs, assessing and intervening with suicidal youth, and working with families and community organizations during and after a suicidal crisis.

Pennsylvania General Assembly, House Resolution 980, “promoting youth suicide prevention education for all administrative, teaching and counseling personnel in all public and private high schools in Pennsylvania.”

Means Matter: Resources from the Harvard School of Public Health on lethal means restriction.

The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What it Means for Schools The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and other violence prevention partners and researchers have invested in learning more about the relationship between these two serious public health problems with the goal of using this knowledge to save lives and prevent future bullying.

Issue Brief from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), March 2011: examines the relationship between suicide and bullying among children and adolescents, with special attention to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. It also explores strategies for preventing these problems.

More general resources on bullying.