Two free events hosted by Solvista Health on May 17 in Salida are designed to bring attention to the need for greater focus on youth suicide prevention and awareness efforts. One is a free event for community youth at Fun Street Arcade in Salida, the other is a regional conference for Chaffee, Lake, Fremont and Custer counties focused on creating a strategic plan for each community to deal with rising rates of teen depression and teen suicide. The conference will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at A Church, 419D St. Salida.
“We strongly feel that our youth have been such powerful advocates for getting friends and loved ones to services this past year, and we want to express our gratitude,” said Solvista Health Chief Operations Officer Mandy Kaisner, LPC. “Youth who attend the morning presentation and strategic planning session would be able to walk to Fun Street Arcade (located at 243 F St. Salida) for free pizza, salads and free games. This [Fun Street] event is actually open to all teens in our communities and it does not require coming to the morning session.”
Teens interested in the Fun Arcade event should go to the Solvista Health Facebook page for event information and to RSVP. www.facebook.com/events/1236077689875111/
Solvista Health is partnering with the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health and Colorado Crisis Services who are coming to Salida to share about Below the Surface, a youth-driven social media campaign piloted in areas of Colorado this past year.
Following that presentation, Solvista will lead a short strategy session to formulate some goals and a plan for each of the four counties. The afternoon session will focus on a suicide prevention training course called Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), providing skills to help members of the community if they come in contact with someone that may be having thoughts of suicide.
The day’s conference agenda is below:
10 a.m.– 11 a.m. – Below The Surface Campaign Presentation
11 a.m. – noon – Community and Youth Strategic Planning
Noon – 12:30 p.m. – Catered lunch
12:30 pm – 2 p.m. – Question, Persuade, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training (QPR)
Teens are invited to as much of the Youth Suicide session as they wish, as well as the appreciation event at Fun Street Arcade:
12 p.m. noon – 2 p.m. – Teen Appreciation at Fun Street Arcade
· Pizza lunch provided
· Youth that participated in the morning will head over after the Strategic Planning Session
· Open to all teens – do not need to participate in the morning session (though we hope they will!)
To register for the Youth Suicide event for either the morning, afternoon, or both sessions, go to www.tinyurl.com/y3nhv5bn.
For more information about the Below The Surface campaign, click here: www.tinyurl.com/y3ns2yuq.
For more information about Question, Persuade, Refer training click here: www.tinyurl.com/y27oqysp.
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