A group of sports stars across multiple codes have come together to launch a new suicide awareness and prevention campaign.
Twenty2Zero is designed to break the stigma associated with suicide and encourage open conversations.
It will guide people who may be concerned about individuals or who are keen to learn how to spot the signs and guide people back from a dark place, towards an online training toolkit provided by the Ohana Zero Suicide movement.
Ohana is a Hawaiian term meaning family in its widest context.
The online training course is free and completing the course takes only 40 minutes, time well spent in your day if it can help to save a life.
The training empowers people to identify suicidal behaviours and to support those feeling vulnerable or suffering from mental health problems.
Intervene
It encourages people to talk about the issue and to intervene if loved ones, friends or strangers are believed to be at risk.
This free online suicide awareness training can be accessed at www.ohana.ie and it is aimed at people from all walks of life.
Sport is a good place to start with coaches and mentors being ‘authority’ figures that often have a closer and more relationship to young people than might be the case elsewhere in their lives.
“Suicide is a preventable death. Our goal is to empower communities and individuals throughout Ireland to help by being alert to the warning signs and helping those who are feeling suicidal to stay safe., ” said Su Carty, one of Ireland’s representatives on the World Rugby Council and a director of Ohana.
“Our suicide awareness training, with the simple tagline ‘Show you Care, Ask the Question, Make the Call’, is designed to provide every person with the basic skills that will help to reduce suffering and save lives.”
40 Minutes
“By taking this short 20 to 40-minute training we could be just minutes away from zero suicide.”
She was joined at yesterday’s launch by Irish rugby international and ex-professional Head Coach Bernard Jackman; Irish hockey international Sarah Torrans; former Leinster and Irish international rugby player Tania Rosser; Tipperary hurler Brendan Maher; Dublin All Ireland winner Lauren Magee and Munster and Irish Rugby legend Alan Quinlan.
The timing is important with concerns over isolation, anxiety and mental health wellbeing intensified by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown, reducing people’s social contact with others including family members and friends.
Ohana ZERO suicide is asking people to lend their social media feeds to the cause. The time has come to not only talk about suicide as a public health issue but to start taking action.
Ohana ZERO suicide is asking people and organisations to help spread the word about free suicide prevention training using the hashtags #Twenty2Zero and #OhanaZeroSuicide.
We are in. Are you?
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