Not sure where to start in engaging the youth on your campus? Check out our tip sheet for suicide prevention programming activities as a jumping off point.
NAMI California (www.NAMICA.org): A grassroots organization of families and individuals whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. They advocate for lives of quality and respect, without discrimination and stigma, for all our constituents. They provide leadership in advocacy, legislation, policy development, education and support throughout California. There are people all over this state who care about you and want to help those experiencing symptoms of mental illness. Go to namica.org to look for an affiliate in your community.
- Ending the Silence Program: Ending the Silence (ETS) is a mental health education and stigma reduction program designed specifically for high school and young adult audiences. ETS provides accurate information on mental illness and discusses the mental health continuum as something we all experience. The trained two person team provided education and personal testimony from a young person living well with a mental health condition. For more information, contact Kelly Boyles using the contact us link or 916-567-0163
- Parents and Teachers as Allies is a free, one to two hour in‐service program that focuses on helping school professionals and families within the school community better understand the early warning signs of mental illnesses in children and adolescents. For more information, contact Kelly Boyles using the contact us link or 916-567-0163
- NAMI on Campus is a peer-led club for college students to raise awareness of mental health and wellness in order to empower them to take action on their college campuses. For more information, contact Kelly Boyles using the contact us link or 916-567-0163
- NAMI on Campus High School (NCHS) is an adaptation of the college program and is being pilot-tested in 2014 through a partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Placer County Office of Education (PCOE). NCHS is a peer-led club for college students to raise awareness of mental health and wellness in order to empower them to take action on their high school campuses. For more information, contact Kelly Boyles using the contact us link or 916-567-0163
More Than Sad (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
Registry: SPRC, Best Practice Registry
Cost: $60
More Than Sad: Teen Depression is a high school curriculum featuring a 26-minute film and discussion guide that can be integrated during one class period. The program seeks to increase the knowledge of the warning signs of youth suicide so that educators and youth are better prepared to identify and refer students who may be at risk.
Website: www.AFSP.org
Signs of Suicide (SOS)
Registry: SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
Cost: $395 per toolkit
The toolkit includes a DVD with three real-life stories of young people and families impacted by depression and suicide, and vignettes of teens being faced with signs of depression in their friends, which model the appropriate response. Toolkit available for Middle School and High School students. In addition, “The SOS Second Act” toolkit is geared for 11th and 12th grade to review symptoms of depression and suicide and discuss substance use and other risky behaviors. The “Signs of Self-Injury” toolkit educates youth about self-injury and how to support a friend.
Website: https://mentalhealthscreening.org/programs/youth
LEADS for Youth: Linking Education and Awareness of Depression and Suicide
Registry: SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
Cost: $125
The LEADS curriculum, developed with input from students and teachers, is an interactive three-day curriculum used in a health class setting for high school students. Throughout the lessons, students discuss symptoms of depression, risk and protective factors for suicide and learn to identify warning signs of suicide.
Website: www.save.org
Kognito (Peer-to-Peer)
Registry: SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
Cost: Varies (Individual License: $29, Institutional Licenses also available)
Kognito Friend2Friend introduces the concept of mental health, warning signs of psychological distress, and strategies for improving mental wellness through a 25-minute interactive, online learning activity. This suicide prevention tool was developed for students ages thirteen and over.
Website: www.kognitocampus.com/peer/
Reconnecting Youth
Registry: SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
Cost: $1100
Reconnecting Youth is a program that helps at-risk youth achieve in school and decrease their drug use, anger, depression, and emotional distress. The semester long curriculum focuses on skills training within the context of peer group and adult support.
Website: www.reconnectingyouth.com/programs/
Walk in Our Shoes
Cost: Free
Walk in Our Shoes utilizes real stories from teens and young adults to teach youth about mental health challenges and mental wellness. The website includes lesson plans and activities. Similar to its sister campaign in English, Ponte en Mis Zapatos (Walk In Our Shoes) reduces stigma associated with mental illnesses by educating 9-13 year-olds about mental wellness.
Websites: www.walkinourshoes.org (or) www.ponteenmiszapatos.org
PAX The Good Behavior Game
Cost: A classroom kit begins at around $300
For elementary students, PAX teaches students self-regulation, self-control, and self-management in the context of collaborating with others for peace, productivity, health and happiness.
Website: http://goodbehaviorgame.org/
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
Registry: SPRC, Best Practice Registry
Cost: Varies
Ask 4 Help! is a one-hour high school-based curriculum that provides students with knowledge that may increase help-seeking for themselves or on the behalf of others was developed by Yellow Ribbon. The Ask 4 Help! wallet card list how: to seek help, including a three-step action plan for helping others—staying with the person, listening to the person and getting help for the person.
Instructional materials include the PowerPoint presentation (provided on a CD), a teacher’s manual that includes talking points for each of the PowerPoint slides, a program overview and outline, an FAQ, a preparation worksheet, and links to additional resources.
Website: www.yellowribbon.org
Lifeguard Workshop: The Trevor Project
Cost: Free
The Lifeguard Workshop is a free online learning module with a video, curriculum and teacher resources for middle and high school classrooms.
Website: www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/lifeguard
Teen Line Outreach Presentations
Cost: Free
Teen Line offers different outreach presentations that are great for schools or community organizations within the greater Los Angeles area. Presentation options include teen suicide prevention, understanding sexual and gender identity (LGBTQ), and anti-bullying, as well as presentations for parents and law enforcement. Whenever possible, presentations include Teen Line Listeners to help answer any questions about applying, training, and the hotline experience itself. Outreach services are tailored to accommodate different schedules and populations, though they need at least 45 minutes. They can accommodate groups as large as assemblies, yet their presentations truly shine in classrooms.
Website: https://teenlineonline.org/outreach/
