How could you make a suicide prevention more interesting?

My class has started a club where we help prevent suicide, becoming an alcoholic, using drugs, std's, etc. We're having a hard time trying to make the presentations for suicide prevention more "interesting." We've got down some useful facts and such, but there seems to be something is missing to make it appealing to other students.


We want to present something that would make our fellow students actually think about our presentation than just doze off. Any ideas?

How could you make a suicide prevention more interesting?
you have to make it very graphic. Show the color pictures of what happens to the neck when you hang yourself, the liver when you drink , the lungs when you smoke...etc etc.
Reply:Maybe you could find some stories from the internet or students who have attempted suicide, had friends who attempted it, or even succeeded. It might be interesting if you found some type of video as well.
Reply:Why not think about starting up a laughing class, if one is too busy being happy, then one simply cannot find time for suicide. At least I gave it a shot (not literally). Perhaps you could find humour in suicide, I know I can if I think long enough. For example, I wanted to drown, but I can't swim. I wanted to burn in a building, but I'm not aloud to play with matches. No? Oh well.
Reply:My smart-a** impulse is to tell jokes and have your straight man say "This just kills me" over and over, but that would be totally inappropriate. Maybe you should approach suicide as the absolute tragedy it really is and have the class think about the person they love best and imagine how they would feel if that person committed suicide, thern read exerpts from what they write down as responses. I wouldn't treat it lightly or try to be funny. If you are serious about prevention, learn to ask open questions and how to keep someone going. You don't say what level class, are you high school or college? You might have someone from your local public mental health center come and train you properly. This is really not an area to fool around, someone's life might really be in your hands some day. I applaud you for having compassion!
Reply:get like video clips or pictures maybe even get ppl who have attempted suicide to help ya but it wont be good if u actually make it humorous cuz its like totally not a humorous problem! neway but if u include fun activites to help with depression that might be kool 2
Reply:Firstly, good on you and your friends. It takes guts to get up infront of your peers and start something like this. I hope your school is supporting you fully.





In the last 3months of 2006 13 teenagers killed themselves, in a town of less that 100,000 people. This was so significant and so dreadful. I knew 3 of those 13. Our whole city was in shock.





I'm not sure whether your school would let you show graphic pictures and videos. Espcially of suicide victims. As this can often provoke those close to the edge, so to speak. But we had a speaker from the Family Planning Association and she showed us pictures of STDs, and trust me everyone in that room was put off sex!!





Maybe you could try and get some more students to join your group. They could bring in new ideas and contributions.





You could also bring members of the public in to speak to groups. Such as ex-alcolics or ex-drug abusers. It'll be great motivation to those suffering at the moment.





Make sure you have a really good school counsellor to help you. Remember some problems are too big for a child to deal with and a counsellor is a good person to talk to.





Also free stuff! It always works! You will get students coming along. Maybe give them out a hand book with some questions, eg. Who can you talk to if you have any issues within or out of school? And when the students hand in their completed books they recieve something.





Good luck. And good stuff to you and your friends!!
Reply:I agree with robertan, this is not a subject to make 'interesting', you need to hit them hard with the graphic facts on suicide. I understand you want to get their attention and keep them interested, but go for the shock value, you never know it may just save someones life. I gather you have statistical facts and help info, do you know off anyone who has committed suicide, show them the impact it has on those that are left behind. I admire your class for starting such a help class.
Reply:Invite guest speakers. For example, have someone who has worked on a suicide prevention phone line come in and discuss what it was like.


Encourage English teachers to have kids read "The Burn Journals" by Brent Runyon and then hold discussions. Maybe you could even write a letter to Brent and invite him to come talk to your school.


Good luck. You are doing something important!
Reply:I think the fact that someone feels so much isolation and emptiness in their life they would take their own life should be "interesting " enough. You could have guest speakers from a suicide hot line come in and speak to your class.You could also have someone from the mental health unit in your area to speak and do questions and answers. Guest speakers such as youth workers in the field of addictions councelling could also be invited to speak. Speakers from outreach programs would also be interesting. I think all of these speakers would be able to give the "human" side to addictions. If you could arrange a trip to the morgue,although not likely to happen , would certainly make any of these issues real.