FREE Idaho Community Mental Health & Suicide Awareness Event in Jan at Ford Idaho Center

Sadly, "suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people between ages 10 and 34 and suicide attempts among teens have increased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. Research shows that promoting connectedness, between people and within communities, creates a sense of belonging, which can be protective against suicide." -according to patch.com. To promote connectedness in the Treasure Valley, there is an upcoming free mental health and suicide awareness event featuring International pop star Alex Boyé.

This is an incredibly powerful and moving event for all ages full of music and guest speakers with mental health/suicide prevention experience and expertise. There will also be booths featuring local mental health organizations and resources available.

The event's organizers have a few goals:
1. Normalize and encourage ongoing conversations about mental health and suicide prevention within homes, schools, churches, and throughout the community.

2. Equip people (particularly teens) with suicide prevention strategies, on both the individual-level and support-level.

3. Introduce and connect people with the mental health and suicide prevention resources that are available throughout the community.

How this all started is pretty amazing. A Meridian women decided to turn her heartbreak into an outpouring of support for those who are silently suffering. She connected with Alex Boyé and his “Bend Not Break” Suicide Prevention Tour and they were more than happy to bring the event to the Treasure Valley and for free.

“I’m thrilled to come to Boise to spread the message of hope and love,” Boyé said. “Our kids want to help; they are tired of not talking about suicide prevention and mental health. They want to express openly and conversate. They want to help in the fight – they don’t want to lose another friend, another mother, father, sister or brother.”

Check out the Connection is the Cure website for more...