Thursday September 13: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Bringing up the subject of suicide can be daunting, especially with youth who may feel detached from the way adults view the issue. We suggest using some of the films created by teens, for teens, about suicide prevention to open up the dialogue. Check out the top films of the past year by youth here:

http://www.directingchangeca.org/films/. Our suicide prevention films handout highlights some of our personal favorites from the past few years: http://www.directingchangeca.org/wp-content/uploads/Best-of-Directing-Change-films-hand-out_Suicide-Prevention.pdf

Highlighted Film: Don’t Be Afraid to AskCreated by Isaac Resurreccion, Matthew Bachor & Lance Hahn from Canyon High School, Orange County

View film: https://vimeo.com/258204827 A teen is hesitant to ask his friend about suicide after the friend shows warning signs, but he

decides to put aside his hesitation in order to make sure his friend gets the help he needs. Share the Film: It’s better to ask and be wrong than to be too afraid to ask and miss your

opportunity to help a friend. Two boys deal with this hesitation, but eventually help out a friend who has been thinking about suicide in this short film. https://vimeo.com/258204827 #SPWeek #directingchange

About Directing Change: The Directing Change Program & Film Contest is an evaluated youth engagement program. Directing Change engages students and young people throughout California to learn about the topics of suicide prevention and mental health by creating short films that are used to support awareness, education, and advocacy efforts on these topics. Youth apply knowledge about mental health and suicide prevention to create their own unique message about suicide prevention for their peers. Through the creative process of filmmaking young people are engaged via all methods of the learning spectrum: to see, experience, discuss, and apply. These students are recognized for their efforts at a red-carpet award ceremony and their films help impact social change at their schools and in their communities. Directing Change is part of Each Mind Matters: California's Mental Health Movement and statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students. These initiatives are funded by counties through the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63) and administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), an organization of county governments working to improve mental health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. The program is implemented by Your Social Marketer, Inc. For more information visit: www.calmhsa.org