Presentations

The presentations and workshops can help start you and your community on the path of developing a strong suicide prevention program. These events are in high demand. People are taking action and becoming advocates of saving youth. Participants, youth and adults, are enthusiastic and empowered by knowing they can help save lives! Presentations can be held in your local community.

Presentation Contents

1. Barbara Lamoureux shares her personal experience.
2. Talking about suicide won't cause it to happen.
3. Provide a safe, effective way to reach out and ask for help.
4. What is the Yellow Ribbon program®?
5. How do you react if someone says they want to end it all?
6. It is alright to ask for help.
7. Suicide is not a human failing, it is about pain!
8. What can you do to help save a life?
9. Responses from people whose lives were saved.
10. Distribution of Yellow Ribbon cards to each participant.

Presenter

Barbara Lamoureux lost her 20 year old step-son, Louis, to suicide in 1995. Barbara and her husband, Marc, read about the Yellow Ribbon Program® in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Third Serving and immediately determined that the Program should come to their community. They sponsored the Emmes to come and speak at a number of the local schools.

A strong bond has developed between the Emmes and the Lamoureuxs since Barbara and Marc launched the program in her community in 1997. Barbara has set up the first Chapter of the Yellow Ribbon Program® in Canada and is the Canadian contact and resource person. She helps other communities start and introduce the program to help save lives. The Yellow Ribbon Program® focuses on raising awareness of youth suicide. This is an all-out effort for further education, actions and advocacy toward prevention of suicide.

The simplicity of presentations and workshops coupled with the team work of counselors, staffs, teachers, social workers and clergy in your community and schools contribute to the program's incredible effectiveness.

Length of Presentations:

Presentations: 60 – 70 minutes with 10 minutes for introduction of local resources, with additional statistics, warning signs done by local resource people.

Resources are school counselors, mental health staff, youth centers staff, clergy, law-enforcement, fire-departments, and any other personnel that would be appropriate in your community to participate. School counselors and teachers are required to attend presentations given at schools. It is vital to include as many local resource people as possible as it is the local personnel/centers that will support and strengthen suicide prevention. Local resource people are introduced or acknowledged at presentations, as it allows youth to place a face with a name and to know that those people will respond to their needs.

Locations are having tremendous success with the implementation of the Yellow Ribbon Program® through presentations and workshops. For a list of references, please contact the Canadian office at (780) 992-0299.

Cost of Presentations

$750 per day plus expenses. Communities are encouraged to pool resources from several agencies/schools to pay for the presentations. Therefore one agency or school is not responsible for the entire cost. Fee is a day rate with a maximum of two presentations per day.

Call (780) 992-0299 or e-mail Barb for more information and to schedule presentations.

(Many groups are receiving funding from local sponsors, private foundations, school programs, corporate sponsors and grants.)