Letter from the founders

Don’t just Lead, Create a Movement! Speak Up; Stand Up, Save a Life!

In Arizona, much like the rest of the country, student deaths from suicide have increased exponentially and many youth related deaths have found to be preventable if only people had the tools to make a difference. Based on 2017 Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (YRBSS) data, 36.4% of Arizona students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or more in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities. Additionally, more than 1 in 10 Arizona youth indicated attempting suicide. Suicide has become the second leading cause of death in children ages 15-24, and in Arizona it is higher than the national average.

The Arizona Child Fatality Review Program annual report states that 806 Arizona children died last year; 42% of those deaths were preventable.  The report says suicides have increased 81% since 2009 and 32% since 2016 stating one factor is the stigma associated with asking for help. Youth ages 15 through 17 years remained at highest risk for suicide death accounting for 68% of suicides deaths while children 10 through 14 years of age made up 32% of suicide deaths.

With these startling statistics, we worked together with a team to plan a conference for 1,000 students and adults turning the stigma to ask for help into an action plan with their inaugural student-led Youth Conference held January 26th, 2017 at ASU West in Glendale, Arizona.  The conference, the first of its kind in Arizona,  was desperately needed in schools and the community and presented an ideal opportunity to help bridge the gap between the local community, the government, and law enforcement in a positive way, to spark a movement for kids to reconnect to each other and Speak Up, Stand Up and Save a Life. 

The movement has grown significantly throughout Arizona and the 2020 conference brought together over 4,500 students, counselors, law enforcement, community leaders, parents and education advocates who came to gather to eradicate the stigma and consequences of  mental health, bullying, other issues faced by teens, and to prevent teen suicide.  Due to their efforts to help Arizona be a better place for this and future generations, police chiefs, assistant chiefs and law enforcement officers from agencies throughout the state attended the conference. There were school districts throughout Arizona participating who were provided the tools to take back to their schools with the goal to inspire the 400,000  students in their own schools and communities to Speak Up, Stand Up and Save a Life. The data shows that students have already begun saving lives by taking leadership roles in their schools, connecting with other students and caring adults and joining the planning team to ensure lives are saved and students are educated in tools and techniques to help youth navigate life successfully.

Using the model of research, analysis, communication and evaluation, we heeded the critical need to get involved in students' lives to prevent tragic behaviors from becoming deaths. We enlisted other professionals to assist us in carefully culling through research, analyzing the results, creating a plan of action for advocates to come together to seek solutions and evaluating the results with next steps. The media fully covered the conference with students using their voices to speak out and empower others to Stand Up, Speak Out and Save a Life.  Businesses, community organizations and other sponsors stepped up to make the conference free for all attendees. Follow-up through surveys, focus groups and student leadership action has indicated that significant progress has been made with students and supportive parents, administrators and district leadership has led to a decrease in negative social behavior and positive interventions.

Participants have the opportunity to learn about ways to Stand Up, Speak Up and Save a Life in their own communities and school districts. They learn tools and techniques to create an initial action plan to collaborate on positive techniques to make a difference for today’s youth. These plans will be used in their school districts and communities to create their own movements destined to save lives and connect communities to schools with similar missions.  We are filled with a sense of pride for what we have achieved together. We hope this manual will serve as a blueprint to help save lives across the nation. There is nothing more important than ensuring our youth have a bright and hopeful future. We ask you to join together with us to help our schools and communities to Speak Up, Stand Up and Save Lives!

Most sincerely,

Gina Godbehere, Esq.

Dr. Lily Matos DeBlieux