With the overall goal of raising awareness about suicide prevention in society and to promote self-empowerment to address self-harm and suicide through preventative action, the Department of Psychology at Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) organised an awareness programme on Saturday at Motphran on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day.
Down the road, in Mission Compound, mental health institution SAN-KER organised an event bringing together students, psychological experts, survivors of suicide, dancers and youth who read out their own poems and spoke about their own experiences of mental health challenges.
In the morning, SAN-KER organised a cycle rally as part of the global ‘Cycle Around the Globe’ initiative led by the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
There were 73 participants who cycled a 24km course around the city from Khyndailad to SAN-KER, which contributed 1,752km to the distance of the global cause.
Bearing in mind the theme ‘Creating hope through action’, MLCU faculty Iwapaka Shullai spoke about how society has the responsibility and power to create hope through action. The theme was also highlighted by a skit performed by the students in which the focus was on how to detect and identify warning signs of suicidal intentions and to help and guide people with them towards professional help.
A candlelight vigil to remember those who lost their lives and those who are affected by suicide was also successfully held by the department at Khyndailad the same evening. Students and faculty took part in a prayer and a two-minute silence observed for those who have taken their lives and those affected by the trauma.
