The Rayburn College Psychology Department hosts a one-week programme on suicide prevention and awareness (19th – 22nd September). The event includes classroom activities, a campus-wide awareness campaign, and a special presentation by Mrs. Ellinor Gerber-Tonsing of Berlin, Germany.
“Creating Hope Through Action” was the subject of a presentation by the WECARE team. Pastor Suanlian Tonsing discussed the “Pastoral & Spiritual Aspect” topic, followed by Mrs. Ellinor Gerber-discussion Tonsing’s of the “Social Work Aspect,” T. Vungmuanlal’s discussion of the “Lamka Context,” and Awon Ching Hatzo’s discussion of the “Mental Health” theme.
The event’s purpose was to raise awareness of the reasons, warning signals, and potential treatments or assistance for persons who battle with suicidal thoughts and those who wish to assist them.
Students from the first and fifth semesters (Psychology honours) actively planned various events and activities to raise awareness that suicide is preventable. Focusing on the National Suicide Prevention Awareness theme of 2022, “Creating Hope Through Action,” the students create slogans, posters, flyers, and yellow ribbons to reach out to anyone on campus to let them know that we care, want to support and that there is hope for anyone who has suicidal thoughts.
The students were divided into groups and distributed workloads among themselves. They worked in groups with the most incredible enthusiasm for assisting someone in need. Each of them gave it their all, and the convergence of their collective creative ideas made the event successful. They not only distributed care and hope-giving messages throughout the campus via posters, slogans, cards, ribbons, and flyers, but they also visited every classroom, office of every available department, canteen, construction workers, and anyone who saw the college while delivering a short speech on the event’s goals and objectives.
The outcome of this event assisted students in developing stronger relationships, learning and experiencing the effectiveness of teamwork, having fun while carrying out activities, becoming more informed, and gaining wholesome new experiences, explorative, a window of opportunity to cast out their talents, creativity, and skills. They can also think outside the box because they are confident in their ability to organize any event.
