Every Life Matters introduces programme to makes schools safer

The vision at Every Life Matters is to train an entire generation in Cumbria and the Three Dads Walking have helped greatly with the charity to allow suicide prevention to be more freely spoken about in Cumbira.

Nationally, we lose more school aged children to suicide than anything else. It is the biggest killer of our young people and yet the charity found it was not being addressed in schools.

Vicki Boggon, Suicide Bereavement Support Worker and Suicide Safer Schools Co-ordinator at the charity said: "We all learn physical health first aid but not necessarily mental health first aid.

"Yet, if our mental health and wellbeing isn’t good then we can’t move on and young people won’t learn and achieve their academic potential.

"We teach young people road safety, relationships education but not suicide prevention and yet this is what potentially could save lives."

Candle Lighting vigils held last month across Cumbria (Image: Every Life Matters)

The suicide safer schools programme covers mental health and wellbeing, along with coping strategies – both positive and negative, which includes self harm and risky behaviours. 

The charity look at the teenage brain, suicide prevention techniques and how they can  help young people understand when and how to ask for help.

Vicki said: "Since suicide is everyone’s business, it is a community wide issue that needs addressing urgently as Cumbria’s suicide rates still remain stubbornly high compared with national statistics."

This programme will equip schools with the learning, knowledge and skills to support and enable their students to talk about suicide, their mental health and wellbeing as everyday conversations, thus removing the stigma that still surrounds such topics.

Vicki said: "As such, we hope that there will be a change in culture and all people will feel more at ease to talk about how they are truly feeling."

The charity has currently trained school staff within five secondary schools and by Christmas nearly 1,000 students will have taken part in the activities that form this programme.

Every Life Matters aim for this to continue throughout the coming years so that all schools in Cumbria have the opportunity to undertake the programme. The charity would like to see this rolled out nationally in the future.

Vicki said: "The whole point of the programme is to equip students with help seeking behaviours and this is the golden thread that holds the whole programme together!"

"It's a cliche but suicide is a permanent solution to what is often a temporary problem and if we ask for help and talk, often another solution to the problem can be found, which doesn't threaten life.

"We need to talk, talk, talk and listen non judgementally!"

If you are having suicidals thought please contact Samaritans on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258 or contact Every Life Matters on 0800 953 0110.

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