TOPEKA – The Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention believes that every young person deserves to be safe from suicide and that the best way to reach youth in Kansas is to provide opportunities for them to reach out to their peers, thus the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest was created. The contest, which ended April 5, 2021, was open to Kansas youth in grades 6 through 12 and 28 youth from across the state dedicated their time and talents to developing messages to reach other youth with their submissions.

“We are pleased with the incredible quality of submissions for the contest. Every person who entered clearly put great thought and effort into their submission,” Steve Devore, President/CEO of Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ said. “We look forward to sharing them across the state to raise awareness of the possibility of hope and healing while working to provide enough support to Kansas youth so that no one ever walks alone in crisis. We anticipate all entries will resonate with youth but there were top prizes awarded for the three grade categories by youth judges.”

To view submissions to the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest, visit the online gallery at www.ksphq.org/artcontestgallery/.

The agencies involved in the Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention include the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

There is something each of us can do, follow these tips to help prevent youth suicide.

If I am a teen, I can…

• Encourage friends that getting help for life’s ups and downs is okay.
• Share stories about times getting help has worked.
• Talk to my doctor during my annual well visit.
• Break the stigma by encouraging discussion of mental wellness.
• Be an example of kindness and connection to those around me.

If I am a parent, I can…

• Be willing to listen without judgement.
• Be the one to help my child seek mental and physical care when needed.
• Store my firearms and prescription/over-the-counter medications safely at home to reduce the likelihood they will be used in a suicide crisis.

If I am a school employee, I can…

• Be willing to listen without judgement.
• Download the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale screener tool and champion protocol changes for successful implementation within my school or district.
• Recognize social emotional learning initiatives that focus on building social skills especially problem-solving skills are effective upstream efforts to reduce suicide and other risky behaviors in students.
• Implement evidence-based screening for depression and suicide for the entire student body.

If I am a community member, I can…

• Be willing to listen without judgement.
• Make resources for safe storage or disposal of means for suicide available (e.g. trigger locks, prescription take back initiatives).
• Enroll in training like Mental Health First Aid or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills.
• Participate in training like (ASIST) or Question. Persuade. Refer (QPR) to be able to better identify when youth are struggling with thoughts of suicide.
• Practice good self-care; share my coping mechanisms with those around me, tell stories of seeking help and gaining recovery.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please text KANSAS to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.