In the spring of 2021, the North Hills Stand Together club created the video below to raise awareness about suicides.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone takes their own life every 40 seconds. That’s about 800,000 people worldwide every year — although some estimates say it’s closer to one million. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29 and for every suicide that results in death, there are as many as 40 attempted suicides.
Stand Together is a groundbreaking initiative operated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health. Participating schools select a group of students who undergo training provided by Stand Together staff. Those students create projects to educate their peers about mental and substance use disorders, stigma and social inclusion.
Stand Together believes in unleashing the creativity of students to develop innovative ways to educate schoolmates.
Students know what peers will respond to, which is why the project planning process is student driven. Because short-term interventions are not effective in changing stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors, the Stand Together initiative takes place over the school year.
September is Suicide Prevention Month and World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10.