Marquette events will raise awareness for suicide prevention
Marquette is one of 12 sites to participate in national traveling display of 1,100 backpacks
MILWAUKEE – In recognition of September as National Suicide Prevention Month, Marquette University will host a number of events Wednesday, Sept. 30, through Friday, Oct. 2.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, some 1,100 backpacks representing the 1,100 college students nationally who die by suicide each year will be displayed as part of a national traveling exhibit for Active Minds, an organization dedicated to raising mental health awareness. Each backpack houses a real story of a student who died by suicide. Marquette students will also have the opportunity to write about a loved one who died by suicide that will be included on a backpack. The backpacks will be displayed Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Marquette’s Central Mall, south of Wisconsin Avenue between 13th Street and 16th Street.
Following the exhibit on Thursday, Oct. 1, Kevin Briggs will give a presentation on suicide prevention. Briggs is a former California Highway Patrol Officer who is known for encouraging upwards of 200 people to not jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Briggs will speak at 7 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union, Monaghan Ballrooms.
On Friday, Oct. 2, Amy Lovell, wife of Marquette President Michael R. Lovell, will host a Question Persuade Refer Training session for students, faculty, staff and community members. Lovell is the co-founder of REDgen, a community action group committed to working together across systems to promote balance and resiliency in the lives youth and families. The training session will take place at 11 a.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union, Room 227.
“Our intention with these events is to start a conversation about suicide and mental health among members of the Marquette community. Engaging the community and offering suicide prevention skills could ultimately help those on our own campus who may be struggling,” said Markie Pasternak, a senior in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and president of the Active Minds Student Advisory Committee.
The events are coordinated by the Marquette chapter of Active Minds, a student organization that promotes mental health discussion and combats student suicide, in partnership with the Marquette University Counseling Center, Marquette University Student Government, The Charles E. Kubly Foundation and Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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