Rotary Engages Students On Suicide Prevention, Seeks Parents’ Involvement

The Rotary District 9127, on Wednesday, engaged students of the Government Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, on mental health and suicide prevention.

The programme, themed: “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” was held to commemorate the 2024 World Suicide Prevention.

Speaking at the event, Rotary’s 9127 District 2024-2025 Governor, Mike Nwanoshiri, said the engagement was to enlighten youths on appropriate ways to address issues that may result in suicide and other mental health challenges.

Represented by the Past District Governor, Rotarian Nnoka Mbamefo, Nwanoshiri, told the participants that suicide was not the solution to their problems, rather, he asked them to always speak up.

He said: “We are in this school today to sensitise students and let them know that the best thing is not to take your life when you are stressed or overwhelmed.

“You need to associate with people, talk to people, let your friends and people around you know how you feel, and seek help so that people can assist you in whatever area you are suffering.

“Taking your life is not a solution at all. We are trying to encourage people to try to reach out, reach out to people around, and reach out to friends. Seek help here and there.

“So, the solution is just don’t keep the problem to yourself. Don’t keep your problem to yourself. Try to reach out to people around you, your friends, your relatives and so on, and let them know that you are dying’’.

The district governor, however, called on the parents to get involved in their children’s lives, saying that their involvement would reduce the rising rate of suicide in the country.

He said: “As a parent, you need to be close to your children and listen to them, listening to them is very important. I’m a man but I have to talk about men.

“Some of us leave these children for our wives to look after. A man’s role in society is also very important. In the family, it’s very, very important.

“Try to get close to your children and know where they are at any point, and what they are thinking. Understand them and don’t push them away when they want to let you know their feelings’’.

Also speaking, the Governor-elect of District 9127, Rotarian Joy Okoro, called for stakeholders’ engagement to overcome the rising rate of suicides in the country.

“Whatever is the problem you are going through, communicate with people, and let your parents be at the forefront of all the issues you are involved in,” she said.

On her part, the Chairperson of the Organising Committee, Rotarian Ifidon Anita, said: ‘’Suicide is one of the major causes of death, especially among young people, with research showing that about 70 per cent of suicidal acts.

Occur from the ages of 15 to 29 years, and some even less than 15 years.

“So, we came to the school with a large population to create awareness that suicide is not an option or end to a means.

Earlier in her lecture, a Mental Health Advocate, Chinaemeren Iwuanyanwi, advised the students to break the silence by speaking out when faced with mental health issues.

She said “suicidal thoughts come from pain, anxiety and challenges. So, the more we open up and talk about these challenges and gain clarity on how to manage situations, the better for us and the less recorded cases of suicide.”