Thrive to host suicide prevention summit
A youth mental health and suicide prevention summit hosted by Thrive will be held virtually from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, the North Valley Community Foundation announced in a press release.
The “End the Silence” Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Summit is free and open to high school students and adults.
Sign-ups and a full agenda of the event will be posted at http:// www.nvcf.org/youth-summit.
Thrive, a program led by the NVCF, focuses on emotional healing for children, families and individuals following the Camp Fire and other local crises.
According to the release, the summit will provide interactive experiences, keynote presentations and breakout sessions to help encourage youth voice, provide support and equip participants with helpful tools.
The morning session will be for youth, however, adults can still be present but are encouraged to listen. Full participation for both youth and adults will be in the afternoon session. Participants are asked to stay for the duration of the summit, the release said.
The summit will also feature live music performances, “mini-mindfulness sessions”, video diaries,
raffle prizes and conclude with a “World Cafe experience” for both youth and adults.
“We hope that schools will embrace the summit and make it easy for students to participate,” said Danelle Campbell, Thrive program director in the press release. “And we hope that adults will attend with an open heart, be prepared to truly listen and feel encouraged to support their ideas moving forward.”
In February, Thrive hosted a series of youth focus groups to help gauge how local youth are dealing with suicide and mental health issues.
“It has become very clear during the focus groups that young people are struggling and looking for safe places and spaces to share their feelings and ask for help. It is our goal to normalize the conversation about mental health, eliminate the stigma and fear, and provide encouragement and support to those who are suffering,” said Campbell.
The initiative is a collaboration between Thrive, Butte County Office of Education, Butte County Behavioral Health, Chico State and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the North Valley.