The Jason Foundation is a US organization that provides curriculum material to schools, parents and other teens about how teen suicide can be preventable. The Jason Foundation wants to send out awareness of the "silent epidemic" that is teen suicide. The Jason Foundation was started in 1997 after the suicide of Jason Flatt, a 16-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee.
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Jason's Story
Jason's father, Clark Flatt, wrote a letter to anyone interested in learning about how to help youth suicide. In the letter Jason's father reveals that Jason was a normal 16 year old boy, who enjoyed hanging with friends, playing sports and was a B-average student. Sadly, on July 16, 1997 Jason became the next statistic in youth suicide. After Jason's death, his father began researching about youth suicide, with the intention of discovering effective methods of suicide prevention. The Jason Foundation was created to help stop this silent epidemic.
Students' Help
The Jason Foundation has created a system for the youth of today to help prevent another person from taking their life. One part of this is the use of the "LIFE" model, which is an anagram for:
• Listen to your friends when they need to talk about problems or thoughts of suicide.
• Insist that they be honest with you.
• Feelings—share them with each other.
• Extend a helping hand and go with them to get a responsible adult involved to help.
This method was created as a way to approach an endangered teen in a non-threatening way about the teen's actions or thoughts. The Jason Foundation stresses that if someone knows about their friend thinking about suicide to never keep it to oneself, communicate the problem to a parent, a school guidance counselor, or a teacher about what was heard.
Parents' Help
The Jason Foundation believes that there are effective ways for a parent to help a child not become another victim of youth suicide. The Jason Foundation promotes the idea of educating oneself about the problem and the signs of concern, and the tools that can be used for suicide prevention. JF encourages parents to approach school systems to incorporate JF ideals and methods into school curricula, and to provide teachers with the tools to help with this issue. JF stresses that watching and listening to children is a huge in helping awareness of potential problems that may eventually lead to self-harm. JF believes that parents who talk to their child and allow their child to express his or her feelings are better equipped to help with the development of coping mechanisms. Also, the parent with a strong concern about their child can always seek professional help.
A Promise For Tomorrow
A school-based curriculum unit of study suitable for grades 7 through 12. It can be taught as a stand- alone program or as an objective within another discipline like health and wellness. The students are given information about the problem of youth suicide and strategies to recognize and help a friend who may be at risk. The underlying lesson is that a responsible adult must be told of the concerns so that appropriate help can be found. The program contains easy to follow lesson plans, a discussion DVD and activities for students. .
The Promise Program
At the end of your education about what the Jason Foundation is trying to accomplish the learner is presented with a little card. This card is a promise, on the card there is a little paragraph stating "I promise to be here for my friends. I will watch for any behavior that concerns me and I will TALK, LISTEN and RESPOND using the LIFE model. I won’t be silent." and then the student signs their name. The card also has the LIFE method on how to help and warning signs. The warning signs or signs of concern which are:
• Depression
• Abrupt changes in behavior
• Mood swings
• Crying spells
• Recent grief or losses
• Changes in school performance
• Giving away treasured belongings
• Suicidal threats
• Hopelessness
All the things on this card are put on there to help out a teen in need. When given this card the participant must take this seriously or else the education was for nothing, the pledge not only keeps yourself alive but it has the ability to help save another life.
Teen Suicide Facts
People do not hear much about youth suicide that is why the Jason Foundation calls it a silent epidemic because it does not appear on peoples radar as a problem. In the USA teen suicide is the second leading cause of death for college aged youth and for kids ranging from the ages of 15-19. Each week the US loses approximately 100+ people to youth suicide, also according to the NMHA, four out of five people who attempt suicide have given clear warnings, which is why the Jason Foundation has brought awareness to those warnings by giving teens and adults the Promise Program Card.