Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among United States college students.
Illinois Wesleyan wants to change that.
For Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, the IWU Counseling & Consultation Services and the Titan HEART program have partnered with Active Minds to bring their Send Silence Packing exhibit to campus on September 25.
ActiveMinds (activeminds.org) is the nation’s leading nonprofit working to change the culture around mental health.
Send Silence Packing is their traveling exhibit raising awareness about suicide prevention.
It showcases 100 stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide.
It is designed to raise awareness about the impact of suicide, connect individuals to mental health resources and inspire action for suicide prevention.
Since 2008, the exhibit has had over 350 showings, interacting with over a million individuals.
In addition to partnering with over 1000 schools nationwide, Active Minds is also associated with organizations like the National Football League.
“I founded Active Minds as a freshman in college following the death of my brother, Brian, by suicide in order to end the stigma around mental health,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds.
“Stigma is shame, shame causes silence, and silence hurts us all.”
The conversation around suicide is especially important for Bloomington-Normal.
Since 2023, McLean and surrounding counties has seen suicide numbers rise.
While McClean county ranked in the lower third of Illinois counties for all-age suicide rate between 2008 and 2017 (with a rate of 11.7 for every 100,000 people), Illinois ranked ninth for annual lives lost last year.
“‘Send Silence Packing’ is a highly visible way to combat that stigma, increase openness, and inspire action for suicide prevention,” Malmon said.
The exhibit has been on IWU’s radar for some time, but has been made possible by a recent grant.
“This initiative has been a goal since my first year here,” said CCS’s Christina Armstrong.
“I wanted to increase awareness and connect our community with resources,” she said.
“I have long followed the impact the exhibit has had at other campuses, and I am grateful the SAMHSA grant has made this possible for us,” Armstrong said.
Approximately 24,000 college students attempt suicide every year. 1,100 of them will not survive.
Help Illinois Wesleyan continue the conversation behind suicide prevention and visit the Send Silence Packing exhibit on the quad from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday, September 25.
