Send Silence Packing - Active Minds

Posted September 22nd, 2015
By Kris Powers

I recently read a blog on The New York Times written by Julie Scelfo entitled, “Suicide on Campus and the Pressure of Perfection“ and the stories and statistics are shocking.

Six University of Pennsylvania students committed suicide in a 13-month stretch in 2014, Tulane lost four students in 2015 and Appalachian State at least three. Cornell faced six suicides in the 2009-10 academic year and five New York University students leapt to their deaths in 2003-2004.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students and the third-leading cause of death among all youth 15 to 24 years old. More than 4,000 people in that age range commit suicide each year. Eleven hundred of them are college students.

Active Minds is a national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with 330 college chapters on campuses and in communities nationwide. The organization works to empower students to eliminate the stigma often associated with mental health issues on college campuses, speaking openly in order the educate others and encourage all who need it to seek help. According to the website, Active Minds is “changing the culture on campuses and in the community by providing information, leadership opportunities and advocacy training to the next generation”. Through campus-wide events and national programs, Active Minds works to create an open environment for students to discuss mental health issues. By removing the feeling of stigma and shame that often surround mental health, we can help break the silence.

Active Minds has created a traveling exhibit, Send Silence Packing. The powerful exhibit contains 1,100 backpacks, representing the number of college students who die by suicide each year. The exhibit is displayed in high-traffic areas on campuses, giving a visual representation of the scope of the issue and the number of victims.

Many of the backpacks displayed in the Active Minds exhibit have been collected from people around the country in memory of students who lost their lives to suicide, or are in honor of loved ones impacted by suicide. Some belonged to the students themselves. Many backpacks display personal stories, photos and messages from friends and family members. These stories help put a face behind the names of those lost to suicide and carry a deeply personal message that preventing suicide is about more than simple statistics; it’s about saving the lives of friends, family, sons and daughters.

The goals of the Send Silence Packing exhibitions are to encourage students to talk about suicide and other mental health issues, raise awareness of the incidence and impact of suicide, inspire action for suicide prevention, and connect students with the necessary mental health resources.

The Fall 2015 tour recently kicked off at the Ball State University in Indiana and will then travel to 11 additional locations in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and California. Below is the 2015 Send Silence Packing Fall tour:

September 14: Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana
September 17: University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan
September 21: Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan
September 23: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana
September 25: Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan
September 28: Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
September 30: Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
October 5: California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California
October 8: Fresno City College in Fresno, California
October 12: University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California
October 14: San Jacinto College (Menifee Valley Campus) in Menifee, California
October 15: University of California, Riverside in Riverside, California