Around the world today, millions of candles will be lit to remember those lost to suicide. This week is World Suicide Prevention Week with Sept. 10 being World Suicide Prevention Day.
The Nation’s Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Campus, the NC State Student Health Center and other sponsors are holding its 5th Annual Candlelight Vigil tonight in Wolf Plaza.
The event will start off at 5:30 p.m. where students will learn about the warning signs of suicide and paint the Free Expression Tunnel. At 7 p.m. the Vigil will start with a screening of the “Share Your Story” film and the candle lighting will begin at 8 p.m. The event will close with an open mic, allowing students who wish to share their story or one of someone close to them.
Angel Bowers, Assistant Director of Outreach at the NC State Student Health Center, said the event is a balance of campus partners sharing their services and support to students.
“We hope students will join together in support of those who have and continue to struggle with mental health concerns so students never have to be alone,” Bowers said.
NAMI on Campus is an NC State student organization that hopes to educate and increase students’, faculty and administrators’ awareness of mental health issues. They also promote existing mental health services on campus and assist students in receiving care from these services.
“One of our main goals is to reduce the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and surrounding suicide, because no one talks about it,” said Avi Aggarwal, the president of NAMI, said. “Over 90 percent of people who commit suicide are diagnosed with a mental illness.”
She also mentioned that internationally, other organizations will light candles at 8 p.m.
“We want to show that there are people here who care about one another and who support each other,” said Alyssa Elliott, the vice president of NAMI.
Aggarwal mentioned that one of their goals is to create a conversation about suicide and mental illness.
“I think the Vigil is like metaphor: we’re lighting these candles; we’re bringing light to the issue and creating a safe environment for people to come and share since it is a sensitive subject,” Aggarwal said.
Khari Cyrus, Student Body President, said he lost a friend to suicide during his sophomore year.
“Essentially, I felt as if I failed him as a friend, so I told myself that in order to ‘make it up to him’, I’d make sure I did everything in my power to remove the stigma around mental health,” Cyrus said. “I’d also want to offer myself as a resource for anyone going through a tough time.”
For more information about suicide prevention, contact the NC State Student Health Center. To learn more information about NAMI, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NAMI.NCSU.
