Hope Alive In The Young Among Us
Grant Us Hope is an organization serving the Greater Cincinnati region. It’s mission is to be a vehicle of change regarding teen suicide prevention. Their charge is to expand the availability of mental health services for teens suffering from mental distress. Key to their undertaking is bringing Hope Squad teams to local and surrounding middle and high school. Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer program that works within a school to reduce the stigma around mental health and suicide. With over 1500 schools across the US and Canada participating, Hope Squad members are trained to identify at-risk students, provide friendship and seek help from trained adults.
This week I was asked to speak at the Grant Us Hope conference at the Lakota West Freshman campus about my loss of two brothers to suicide and how to find hope amidst such heartbreak. The conference participants were Hope Squad team members from schools all around southwest Ohio. I have to say, in all my suicide awareness outreach, I love spending time with these kids who have chosen to shine a light on the dark cervices of mental struggle. They offer to their peers the path of difference, where a listening ear might offer a lifeline to others who struggle with whether or not they fit into this often judgmental and painful world.
The kids, ages 12-18, inspired me deeply. Committed to supporting their peers, these young people also revealed the heavy burdens they themselves carry. One lost a friend to suicide. Others talked about how their family members attempted suicide. And one young high schooler, through her tears, shared she lost her best friend just two months ago. Although her friend did not die by suicide, the pain of her grief was evident. She wondered aloud if she would ever stop crying. My heart broke for her, yet as I held her hands in mine, others in the room began to counsel and encourage her. I saw the healing power that young people have for one another, and my hope was renewed even more. After one of my three sessions, two girls approached me and offered me a hug. They expressed their thought that I might need one. My heart expanded with their tender embrace.
Discussions regarding suicide and solutions to address the mental health epidemic that permeates all walks of life are hard. The young among us have an especially heavy burden as suicide is the second leading cause of death for those ages 15-24. Think about that. The fact that so many feel hopeless to the point of wishing to end their life should make us all want to stand in solidarity with these kids. They wish to infuse hope and compassion into their collective world where despair is a silent killer. And I have come to believe that this organic delegation of teens helping teens is the most encouraging tool we have to stop suicide. Simply put, these teens are working to save us all.
So, onward we all go. For those who have been touched by suicide, they best way for good to rise from the struggles of those we love is to keep talking about it. I feel the love connection with my brothers every time I speak of them. Yes, the pain remains, but the winds of hope and encouragement that breeze between us are healing. In sharing my story, I reach others in that sacred space where loss can be nursed by shared kindness and understanding. And, in return, I am healed by listening to others when the shed of tears lead to hugs.
For more information, check out grantushope.org or hopesquad.com.