Suicide is a global public health concern and the National Council for Suicide Prevention works to advance suicide prevention through leadership, advocacy, and a collective voice. Recently the members of the National Council for Suicide Prevention launched a new “Take 5 to Save Lives” suicide prevention campaign in recognition and support of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) — an annual, global event observed on September 10. The campaign’s main tool, www.take5tosavelives.org, encourages everyone to complete several action steps to prevent suicide using 5 important themes: LEARN, KNOW, DO, TALK, and SHARE.
- LEARN the warning signs, risk factors, & protective factors of suicide
- KNOW how to help yourself and others who may be struggling
- DO raise awareness, volunteer, & practice self-care
- TALK about suicide, dispel myths, & reduce stigma
- SHARE Take 5 to Save Lives with others
“The purpose of the Take 5 to Save Lives campaign is to unite people everywhere in suicide prevention and our goal is to encourage everyone to get involved in suicide prevention in 5 simple steps,” said Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Managing Director of the NCSP. “The causes of suicide are complex, but getting involved in the suicide prevention movement doesn’t have to be,” according to Reidenberg.
“We wanted to create an informative and engaging campaign to highlight the most important ways we can prevent suicide,” said Jennifer Owens who manages the Take 5 program for the NCSP. The Take 5 to Save Lives campaign was designed to be shared with colleagues, friends, family, social groups and on social media using the Take 5 Toolkit. On the website you can also find flyers, the Take 5 logo, and sample social media text and images to make sharing the campaign easy.
Take 5 to Save Lives organizers believe the new themes and prevention-focused activities will make it easy for people to get involved and this year promotional materials are also available in Spanish for the first time to continue to expand the accessibility in other languages and create materials that are culturally sensitive and responsive. If you are interested in helping translate the Take5 program into other languages please contact jowens@save.org.
To learn more or to get involved in the Take 5 to Save Live campaign, visit www.take5tosavelives.org.
