World Suicide Prevention Day
Focuses on raising awareness about suicide prevention.
Activities:
Mental health workshops: Teach coping strategies and resilience.
Support circles: Provide spaces for open discussions. Have students write down or draw people and places they can go for help when feeling overwhelmed.
Resource sharing: Distribute information on where to seek help.
Kindness Jars: Have students write anonymous messages of encouragement, survival or hope on slips of paper. These can be left in form rooms for students to read when needed.
Gym Access: Open the gym after school and invite students to build health habits
Learn A New Skill: Learning a new skill can be a great coping strategy so ask staff if they can share any skills with students during the group.
Awareness assembly – Provide age-appropriate information about mental health, recognising when someone may be struggling and how to seek support.
“Talk, Ask, Listen” campaign – Encourage people to check in with others and create a culture where asking for help is normal.
Wellbeing workshops – Run sessions on emotional wellbeing, coping strategies, resilience and looking after yourself.
Peer support activities – Train or promote appropriate peer-support opportunities, with clear boundaries and adult safeguarding support.
Kindness campaign – Encourage small acts of kindness and checking in with friends, colleagues and classmates.
Mental health information stands – Provide accessible information about local and national support services.
“You are not alone” display – Create a positive display focused on connection, support and reaching out.
Hope wall – Invite people to contribute positive messages, things that give them hope or reminders that difficult feelings can change.
Message of support cards – Create cards with encouraging messages that can be shared appropriately.
Listening spaces – Provide supervised, confidential spaces where people can talk to an appropriate member of staff.
Student or employee stories – Where appropriate and with informed consent, share positive stories about recovery, hope and seeking support.
Training for young people – Teach young people how to recognise when a friend might need help and how to involve a trusted adult rather than trying to manage the situation themselves.
School-wide Awareness:
Moment of silence to honour lives lost.
Display helpline numbers and support services
Share information and organisations on social media
Breakfast Morning: Invite students in for a hot chocolate or board games morning to encourage open conversations, connection and support in a relaxed setting. While suicide affects people of all genders, research shows that men are at a higher risk, often due to stigma around speaking up or seeking help. This breakfast would be an opportunity to show that no one is alone, and that it's okay to talk and lean on one another. Consider having staff or local organisations come in to offer support and informal chats with students. Also consider having groups with conversation cards to prompt discussions amongst the students.
Introduce a letter box or advertise any current services where students can report concerns relating to mental health
Social media posts sharing mental health organisations.
Staff wellbeing session – Provide staff with guidance on recognising concerns, responding appropriately and signposting people to support.
* Mental health first aid awareness – Offer training or information about how to respond when someone may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
Whole-school or organisation pledge – Commit to creating a culture where people feel able to speak openly about mental health and ask for help.
Review support pathways – Make sure students, staff and families know exactly who they can approach and how to access support.