Teens for Healthy Youth Bluffton High, May River High, and Hilton Head High School Educate Peers During September National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Teens for Healthy Youth (THY) at Bluffton High School created an awareness for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. They placed magnets with the 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline number on each teacher’s classroom’s door and administrator’s office doors. They also made posters with positive and encouraging messages to support peers who may be struggling with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. THY painted a large banner for September Suicide Awareness Month to display in front of the school and the cafeteria during morning carpool drop off. THY also passed out Suicide Awareness bracelets with positive messages to peers arriving at school in the morning and initiated a dress-down day for students and faculty to wear teal and purple to support the cause. During lunches, THY encourage students and faculty to sign the Suicide Prevention Banner to end the stigma associated with suicide under a balloon arch they made. THY also had peers take pictures for social media using a THY created photo border. THY shared THY Suicide Awareness Fact card on Google Grade Level Classrooms. LCAHY E-News Suicide Prevention was shared with the faculty and staff and also in Bluffton High School’s Parent Newsletter. THY also made their own video at Bluffton Tik Tok. THY put information from SAMSAH on youth warning signs of suicide in each of the teacher’s mailboxes.

THY May River High created a memorial dedicated to a MRH student that took their life in 2024. THY MRHS also put up posters in English and Spanish that have the Suicide and Crisis Hotline number for students and staff in need of the resource.  They also made their own Suicide Prevention Bags with Teal Ribbons and Purple beads for the teachers and staff. See the pictures below.

THY Hilton Head Island High school made THY informational packets for September Suicide Awareness Month to distribute to teachers and staff. They also promoted a teal and purple dress down day at their school to create further awareness. They also distributed purple ribbons to students and bracelets with positive messaging. They presented their activities during the LCAHY board meeting via a THY made Canva presentation. View the presentation here https://www.canva.com/design/DAGx7VTKZ0c/QW_AhQW6_yLxWDVO6lDkxA/edit

THY knows addressing related risk behaviors like suicide and depression is important for substance use prevention among teens. THY works annually to create awareness for September Suicide Prevention Month in their schools. This is an activity in LCAHY’s 12-month Action Plan under Strategy One Providing Information in the Seven Strategies of Community Level Change. THY addresses youth substance use prevention and related risk factors like suicide.

THY worked with BLHS Art Club to make a banner to promote Suicide Awareness Month.

THY BLHS made their own balloon arch and staffed a table where students could sign the Suicide Awareness banner during all lunches.

THY members at Bluffton High gave out bracelets with positive messages during morning drop off in front of their school.

THY Suicide Prevention Fact Card was shared on Grade Level Google Classrooms.

THY created a flyer to promote National Suicide Prevention Month dress down day.

Many students at BLHS wore teal and purple in support of Suicide Awareness Month dress down day.

THY BLHS encourages students at BLHS to participate in THY’s social media campaign to create awareness for September National Suicide Prevention Month. A collage of pictures was created and posted to social media.

THY placed magnets with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number in English and Spanish outside of the classrooms.

THY Bluffton High created their own posters to support students in crisis.

THY BLHS placed Suicide Warning Signs in the mailbox of teachers, staff, and administrators at BLHS.

May River High THY created a mural to memorialize a MRHS student lost to suicide.

THY MRHS also put up posters from SAMSHA that have the Suicide Hotline number on it in case students need the number.

THY MRHS created Suicide Prevention bags for teachers with teal ribbons and purple beads to reflect the National Suicide Prevention Campaign.