Mental Health America of Hawai`i (MHA-Hawai`i) is working with Hawai`i’s schools, non-profits, and other youth-serving organizations to educate peers, parents, teachers, staff and community members about bullying and suicide in our state.
A teen in Hawai`i is more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as a teen elsewhere in the United States, with 27 deaths by suicide of young people between the ages of 12-24 here in 2009, according to a Center for Disease Control survey in Hawaii`s schools.
Since 2007, MHA-Hawai`i has been working with youth and adults who work with youth to raise awareness about teen suicide in our state and to provide trainings in prevention strategies and intervention skills.
In the workshops, participants learn to:
- Define bullying and to understand the roles we play in bullying
- Identify symptoms of depression
- Recognize signs of suicide
- Listen, Ask, Support, and Empower the youth to get help
All workshops are interactive in scope and involve activities, role plays, local case studies and theatre exercises to engage the participants. Workshops range from 60 minutes to all-day trainings, depending on the needs of the group.
MHA-Hawai`i has provided workshops to middle and high school students, elementary school parents and staff, social workers, school-aides, foster parents, teachers, program staff, and several branches of the military and National Guard. MHA-Hawai`i is particularly committed to providing services to Native Hawaiian and rural populations; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals; military families; and youth involved in the juvenile justice or foster care system.
Our staff also offers safeTALK-- Suicide Alertness For Everyone. This training is an internationally developed, evidence-based 3 hour workshop about suicide alertness. This training is for everyone (15yr+) who is interested in learning more about some basic skills in recognizing the signs of suicide and finding resources for the person at risk. There is a small fee for materials required for this training.
For the past year and a half, the Stop Youth Suicide and Bullying Project has trained 1755 Youths and 650 Adults (and counting) in Hawai`i.
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