Promoting mental health and suicide prevention is a top priority at Northwestern. At times, stigma may result in students feeling uncomfortable about reaching out to friends or family and seeking the help they need. However, no one should feel like they have to hide or be alone. Northwestern is actively addressing the topic of mental health and suicide prevention in a number of ways, including an upcoming highly acclaimed program:
Send Silence Packing
- Monday, September 28, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Deering Meadow (rain location, Norris Center’s Louis Room)
“Send Silence Packing,” a national campaign by Active Minds Inc., is a program that sheds light on college student suicide. It involves the display of 1,100 backpacks, representing the number of college students who die by suicide each year. The initiative started in 2008 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and has transformed into a national campaign, growing to include over 320,000 people across 98 cities in the U.S. With the help of NU Active Minds, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Division of Student Affairs, Associated Student Government (ASG), the Dean of Students Office, and the Women’s Center, Northwestern is joining the movement. Sponsoring organizations will also provide information about resources available to students both during the program and online.
Active Minds Inc. stands to promote mental health, and by bringing this event to Northwestern, they promote the idea that “preventing suicide is not just about lowering statistics, but about saving lives.”