Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
It is also 3 years, 3 months, and 16 days since Dan took his own life.
For us, the loss of Dan means the loss of a son and brother. The loss of a future, for Dan and for all of us.
Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy. EVERY death is preventable. Zero deaths by suicide is something we must aspire to achieve in Sheffield, the UK, and all over the world.
This year's theme for WSPD is Working Together To Prevent Suicide.
This principle underwrites our new online course: WISETALKERS: Helping You Help Others.
stormsdmc.org/wisetalkers/
30 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME TO BENEFIT YOU AND THOSE AROUND YOU. Drawing on validated approaches this brief, practical training will allow you to understand more about these interactions and develop your existing skills, helping these conversations go better in all parts of your life- family, social, work. Included are links to more information and where to find help if needed. It works with all age groups, and in all settings; schools, workplaces etc.
Many of the actions and practices the course covers may seem to be common sense- but we ask that you think really critically about yourself and the way you interact in difficult conversations. The small changes WISETALKERS highlights really can be life-saving.
Let's be clear; this course will not make you a psychologist, or mental health expert. It will simply remind you of the importance of a kind, non-judgemental, supportive approach. You may never know whether your apparently minor, insignificant support changed the course of someone’s life for the better. Just do it.
There is no denying that these conversations can be hard. Asking someone if they are thinking about taking their own life is scary. You might worry about what to do if they say they are. There is even a myth that if you ask someone about suicide, they are more likely to take their own life. What is certain though, is that as a society we are not used to these kinds of interactions. Despite the fact that we are getting better at talking about mental ill health, suicide remains a distinctly taboo subject.
But, we hope that our WISETALKERS course will help to make these conversations easier. For Dan, we believe that just one interaction, which left him feeling heard and gave him hope in himself and his future, could have saved his life.
Dan, we miss you. We will continue to push for these changes in honour of you.
This is all for you.
If you wish to find out more about Wisetalkers, please contact us via this page or by email: enquiries@stormsdmc.org
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Very sad news.
Our thoughts are with those affected 💙We would like to take a moment to pay our respects to Matt – a fantastic young man that sadly took his own life this weekend. Our thoughts and love go out to all of his family and friends.
We had the pleasure of working with Matt on our latest photo shoot with our amazing partners The Bluebeards Revenge; he was charming to work with, a huge presence in front of the camera and had a fantastic attitude to life. His decision to leave this world has numbed our hearts. It also highlights just how difficult it can be to fight back against the trials of mental health.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. In 2014, 76% of all suicide victims in the UK were male. It’s time for the archaic typecast that depicts men as solid stone to go. Men should not be left feeling like they are unable to share their emotions. Instead, we should all be working together to encourage communication.
It can be incredibly challenging to talk to people about our personal lives. But it’s important that we, as individuals, take the time to reach out to one another and share our feelings. Depression can leave us feeling like we’re trapped in the deepest of holes. But having someone there with you can make all the difference.
If you haven’t seen or heard from a friend in a while, reach out to them - they made need your love and attention. If you are feeling low, remember to reach out to your friends and family to talk about your pains – it is not a weakness.
If this message has affected you in any way, please get in touch with one of the charities below. We will continue our mission to Save one life, and then the next.
Samaritans
Mind
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What an incredible day!!
Pleased to say we raised £11,706 in profit at our Picture House Party held in partnership with @gamblingwithlives.
Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, and attended! Special thanks goes to @harrymaguire93 for his incredible donations and @magicmagid for helping us out with the raffle!
We honestly couldn’t have done this all without you guys. So above all we have you to thank!!
There may be another event announcement coming in the future... watch this space!!
#suicideprevention
#mentalhealth
#sheffieldissuper ... See MoreSee Less
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