September was Suicide Prevention Month, which brought awareness to the fact that suicide is a preventable public health issue. Two events in fall 2016 brought this awareness one step further, helping Vermonters take those preventative steps.
Umatter®, the statewide suicide prevention campaign, emphasizes that “you matter because you may be able to help someone,” and tells people in need of help “you matter to others.”
Recently, Umatter® for Schools Youth Suicide Prevention brought together teams from middle and high schools to learn the skills to prepare you school communities to respond to the mental health needs of students. A School Liaison, Health Educator, Community Liaison, and Administrative Sponsor came together for a two-day event that took place at the Rutland Country Club.
In addition to Suicide Prevention Month awareness, a total of 123 schools have received training in the Umatter® model, and evaluations of the program indicate a significant increase in participants’ confidence in being able to respond effectively to a suicide threat or attempt — 74% pre-training, 98% post-training — and their knowledge of how to help a young person at risk — 55% pre-training and 98% post-training.
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At the end of this training, participants will be prepared to:
• Identify and help youth who show signs of suicide
• Provide parent and staff awareness sessions
• Develop prevention/postvention policies and protocols
• Implement the Lifelines evidence-based curriculum for students (published by Hazleden Publishers- Click here to view)
Program Components:
PART ONE: Webinar: Introduction to Gatekeeper Training with Updated Information
PART TWO: Umatter for Schools Full Day Training
OPTIONAL ADD-On: Consultation and Support to help you implement strategies of suicide prevention in your school.
If you would like to learn more about implementing the Umatter for Schools in your organization, please contact us at info@healthandlearning.org
To download a PDF which describes all of our Umatter Programs, click HERE
