Stamping Out Stigma
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Stamping Out Stigma is soon to be PSU’s newest student organization on campus. SOS is a club promoting awareness to suicide prevention, mental illness, and depression. The idea for SOS began with Paige Young, a junior and Social Studies Education major at PSU, during her Writing and the Creative Process class. The class was given a project on how to change the world. “This seemed like such a daunting task at first, after all, the world is a pretty big place. But I got around to thinking about what in my life has affected me and suicide prevention jumped out,” said Young.
When asked why Young wanted to start the club she said, “In my high school career we lost two students to suicide, and it was devastating. I kept thinking what could we have done as a community to prevent this in the future and the most obvious thing jumped out at me, learning the warning signs. It sounds strange but most people don't know them.”
There are more than 1,100 suicides on college campuses each year. “The second thing that jumped out at me was the data,” said Young. “Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death amongst college aged students.” Young didn’t initially plan to create an entirely new student organization, but realized how important it was to have an outlet available to all students. “The more I talked to people the more I realized we should really have something more solid on campus. I enlisted the help of my friends Karleigh O'Brien and Meredith Nicosia and through many hours of meetings and brainstorming, we established the soon to be Stamping out Stigma,” Young said.
Young has many goals for this organization, from training other students in suicide prevention to popularizing the CARE form, and the counseling center, which is free to PSU students. “The CARE form is such a great tool that Plymouth State has come up with. It's an anonymous form that you can fill out if you are worried about a student on campus.” Young said, “It lets the dean of students and the professors of the student know they are having a hard time so someone can reach out to them. These get automatically sent in and processed so the issue gets addressed in an extremely timely manor.”
SOS’s main goal is to eliminate the stigma associated with suicide and mental illness. “We want to take part in ensuring that Plymouth is a safe and healthy environment for everyone. We want students to know who to contact with concerns and where they can get help if they need it,” said Young.
The future for Stamping Out Stigma looks bright. They will be participating in a NAMI's suicide prevention walk on October 4th down in Concord. You can also find SOS hosting both the men and women’s hockey games on November 7th down at the ice arena. SOS has meetings every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Hyde 439B.
PSU’s Counseling and Human Relations Center: (603) 535-2461
Suicide prevention hotline: 1 (800) 273-8255
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More theclockonline News Articles
- Campton Elementary School 8th Grade Silent Auction & Spaghetti Dinner
- Student Spotlight: Sabrina Siegel
- Ghost Hunt With PSU Paranormal Research Club
- Steve Irwin: How He Brought Us Together
Recent theclockonline News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR THECLOCKONLINE
Campton Elementary School 8th Grade Silent Auction & Spaghetti Dinner By Rebecca Tgibedes
Will You? By Isabelle Elsasser
Summer in the Sunflowers By Emily Holleran
Student Spotlight: Sabrina Siegel By Justine Walsh
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THECLOCKONLINE NEWS
RECENT THECLOCKONLINE CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- New Writers and Illustrators Win Decades-Old Science...
- Moving Resources For Military Families
- Historic Agreement Signed By Red Cross and Armed Forces
- Salonpas® Brand Stands the Test of Time
- Tips to “Yard Your Way” This Spring
- Upgraded Upstate Power Grid Will Deliver a Smarter,...
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- BookTrib's Bites: Four Captivating Spring Reads
- Moms Kick Back with Mamaritas
- Generac Urges Americans to Prepare for Power Outages Early
- Youth Apprenticeship Week Spotlights Opportunities
- New Expo Showcases AI Innovation
- Self-Care and Mental Health Tips for Caregivers
- Adventure Awaits: Discover the Playset that Brings...
- Need Auto Glass Repair? Don’t Despair
- Pioneering Fast and Affordable Broadband for the Underserved
- 7 Reasons Renting an RV Should Be On Every Family’s S...
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Guidenar Launches New Career Test for Gen Z
- GotIt! Education Offers MathGPT Free to All State & Community Colleges
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK