According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), someone, somewhere in America, takes their life every 13.7 minutes.
This semester, The New School is working to increase its support for those at risk of and affected by suicide. The school just launched a new app, called Just In Case, which helps students with crisis support, suicide prevention, and emergency resources. The New School is also participating in two events with the AFSP to raise awareness about suicide and to support those who have lost their loved ones.
The first AFSP event, called “Out of the Darkness,” is a two-hour long benefit walk through Manhattan. Each year, hundreds of Out of the Darkness walks occur across the country, as people honor those they have lost to suicide and raise funds for the AFSP. For the first time, The New School has a team participating in Out of the Darkness. This year’s walk will begin in Battery Park City, at 10 a.m. on October 27.
Dr. Vanessa McGann, a counselor at The New School and the President of the New York City Chapter of the AFSP, is helping plan NYC’s Out of the Darkness walk. “They want everybody to come out and walk and erase the stigma . . . and just change the culture so that we can reduce suicide,” she said.
McGann is also involved in the planning of International Survivors of Suicide Day (Survivor Day), another AFSP event that the New School is hosting this year for the first time. In past years, the New York City Survivor Day has been held at NYU and Beth Israel. “It’s open to the whole New York City community, but we’re hoping that a lot of New School students will get involved,” said McGann.
On November 23, Survivor Day will be held at Wollman Hall at 66 West 12th Street. There will be a screening of an ASFP broadcast and a documentary about suicide, followed by smaller breakout support groups. “It’s a day, really, for healing, for people who have lost somebody to suicide,” said McGann.
Nadia Peer, a Peer Health Advocate and a Nonprofit Management student at Milano, said the upcoming events are relevant to many students at The New School. “7.5% of New School students identified that they have thought about suicide,” she said, citing a study from the National College Health Assessment, conducted by The New School every two years.
Tamara Oyola-Santiago, a health educator at The New School, agreed. “We know that suicide is something that – not that everybody at The New School thinks about – but we know that it’s an issue at the New School,” she said.
Oyola-Santiago expressed her hope that the Out of the Darkness walk and Survivor Day will help struggling New School students cope with any problems relating to suicide or depression. In addition, Student Health Services has other programs that may help students, including counseling, acupuncture, and biofeedback.
“We know that New School students sometimes struggle, and we want to be able to support them, reduce the stigma associated with any kind of mental health condition, and provide vehicles for action and advocacy,” Oyola-Santiago said.
If you are feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal, call 1-800-273-TALK. If you want to know more about the programs mentioned above, contact Student Health Services at shs@newschool.edu. If you are interested in becoming a Peer Health Advocate, please contact wellness@newschool.edu.