Did you know that During February 21–March 20, 2021, suspected suicide attempt Emergency Department (ED) visits were 50.6% higher among girls aged 12–17 years than during the same period in 2019; among boys aged 12–17 years, suspected suicide attempt ED visits increased 3.7%.
The Episcopal Church can do something to help save lives.
At the last General Convention the Department of Faith Formation staff were equipped with some budget dollars to address a Suicide Prevention initiative named and funded in resolution GC#2018-C014. We are hopeful that you have already been invited by your bishop to register and participate in a 90 minute online training offered through our office by Living Works called START. We made a presentation to bishops and canons encouraging them to consider this training for leadership in their dioceses and are pleased to report that several contacted our Department and LivingWorks right away. We are now on the fourth wave of recruiting training participants as we continue to discern our changing ministries in the midst of ongoing pandemic. Suicide attempts are up and it is an urgent matter. We hope you can and will help by taking this training.
Intentions and Expectations
As you engage this training, please keep in mind that this is being offered as an introductory course, a quick-start intended to help participants recognize when a person is considering suicide and take quick action to get them help and support. Our hope is that this course will spark conversation and consideration about ways communities can go deeper to contextualize the learnings and begin to address issues that may be underlying increasing mental health conditions and suicidal ideation.
Training
Our working group determined that training is necessary. We have contracted with LivingWorks for 1000 enrollments in their LivingWorks Start training. We are offering this training free of charge. Please email David Stickley, our Department Associate, for more information or if you experience technical difficulty with the links..
If you have not already signed up and would like to take this free training, click here to register. If you have already registered you have 60 days to complete the training.
Resource Curation
We look forward to your participation, appreciate you feedback, and remain grateful for your partnership in ministry with youth and young adults across the church and in our communities. Thank you for your prayerful consideration and your action. Together we can make a difference in the lives of many.
