Valley students use positive message links for Suicide Prevention Month
Sep 17, 2019, 4:30 PM
(KTAR News/Ali Vetnar)
PHOENIX — Students from 11 schools across the Valley have come together for an initiative for suicide prevention awareness.
They created more than 13,000 paper links with positive messages and wrapped them around the Arizona State Capitol on Tuesday.
September is Suicide Prevention Month and Sept. 10 was World Suicide Prevention Day.
“It’s a day of celebration, a month of celebration and it’s meant to bring awareness to the community,” Nikki Kontz, clinical director for Teen Lifeline, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.
Kontz and Teen Lifeline turned the positive message link campaign into a competition this year in order to reach more students and families.
The links stretch more than a half a mile, according to Kontz.
Three Valley schools were awarded honors from the competition — Tempe McClintock High School, Mesa High School and Phoenix Coding Academy.
“The way to prevent suicide is through support and to have protective factors like hope, whether that’s through loved ones or school or mental health help,” Kontz said.
The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-8255.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ali Vetnar contributed to this report.