The New Jersey Department of Education has partnered with the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide to develop a comprehensive and impactful Suicide Prevention and Awareness campaign.
According to an NJDOE advisory, the initiative seeks to address the critical public health concern surrounding youth mental health and suicide prevention in New Jersey by creating and disseminating educational materials, conducting training sessions to equip stakeholders with necessary skills and implementing community outreach initiatives to raise awareness about suicide prevention. The campaign will culminate with a statewide mental health and suicide prevention conference.
In addition to these efforts, the NJDOE encourages educators to utilize several evidence-based resources to enhance suicide prevention strategies within their schools, including:
- SAMHSA’s Toolkit for High Schools provides comprehensive guidance on supporting students’ mental health and preventing suicide.
- Edutopia’s Suicide Awareness and Prevention Guide offers practical advice on risk factors, protective factors, and best practices for discussing suicide.
- The Rural Health Information Hub’s Suicide Prevention Toolkit highlights effective programs such as “Sources of Strength” and “Signs of Suicide,” which have demonstrated success in reducing suicide attempts and increasing awareness among students.
- The 2nd Floor Youth Helpline and 988 Lifeline are available 24 hours, seven days a week. These hotlines provide free and confidential support for people in distress as well as prevention and crisis.
Suicide continues to be the second leading cause of death for New Jersey youth ages 10-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Such a statistic further emphasizes that we all must work together to raise awareness, share resources and increase protective factors for students.
