We try to shield our children from harm, but we can't stop all threats. And those include threats from the young people themselves; the rate of suicide among younger Americans (10-24) increased every year from 2007 to 2018.
Pleas from adults may fall on deaf ears, so some programs put peers front-and-center in the anti-suicide effort. Those include the program Sources of Strength, implemented in Oregon through Matchstick Consulting, which focuses on public health for young people.
Liz Thorne from Matchstick visits with an overview of Sources of Strength, and she brings student participants from our region to talk about the work.