This month, Los Altos High School’s Student Community Leadership hosted several events for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month through workshops during Academic Collaboration Time and lunch. According to SCL Wellness Commissioner Ateeya Kaul, the organization hoped to spread awareness about suicide through these on-campus activities.
“We [SCL] really hope that students will gain resources [and] knowledge,” Kaul said. “If someone they know is struggling, or if they themselves are struggling, they can know about the resources, [and] the facts. There are resources here on campus and outside of campus.”
SCL’s first event on Tuesday, Sept. 16, challenged students to address mental health misconceptions in “Pop The Myth,” allowing them to win candy and educate themselves on the topic of causes and symptoms of suicide.
One anonymous participant said they left the event more informed about the myths of suicide. However, when asked if they felt the event succeeded at spreading awareness, the student said they would have preferred even more information about the causes and symptoms of someone struggling with suicide.
The second event, which took place on Tuesday, Sept. 23, focused on providing resources for students by inviting various mental health organizations to showcase their information and distribute flyers.
These organizations included the Children’s Health Council, the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Santa Clara County and the Counseling and Support Services for Youth, an organization that has been partnered with Los Altos High since last year to provide on-site therapy to students at no cost.
“It’s important for an organization like CASSY to be at school and on campus because it makes us super accessible to the students, and it’s also completely free of charge,” an on-site CASSY counselor said.
Students also had positive reactions to the event and said that events like these help with suicide prevention.
“I do [believe these events are helpful] because they help offer resources,” Los Altos High sophomore Cielle Brannin-Mooser said.
