SCETV received a grant to support a multi-platform production and community engagement initiative to inform, illuminate and activate suicide prevention strategies for vulnerable populations.
About SCETV’s Suicide Prevention Initiative
In February 2022, Twin Cities PBS (TPT) awarded a total of $165,000 in grants to 10 PBS stations to create suicide prevention initiatives in their communities. The grants will empower stations to work with local and national partners to share evidence-based suicide prevention approaches and resources with their communities and will amplify the messages of the “Facing Suicide” documentary, which will premiere nationally on PBS in 2022.
Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the Facing Suicide initiative will harness the power of public media to destigmatize the topic of suicide and equip friends and family to take appropriate action when someone close to them may be at risk. Grant recipients will share suicide prevention practices and will amplify the documentary’s messaging around awareness, help, and hope.
SCETV Goals
Continuing SCETV’s successful and Emmy-winning endeavors on health, the station will collaborate with community-based partners and statewide organizations to produce multiplatform content that will inform, illuminate, and activate South Carolina citizens around the topics of suicide. This initiative will leverage existing partnerships and foster new ones to create a safe space for dialogue and engagement around suicide prevention.
Listening Sessions
Listening sessions will be hosted across the state in collaboration with local partners to hear community perspectives on the topic and will be facilitated by local universities, K12 stakeholders, and health-care experts. The primary emphasis will be rural communities where suicide rates are the highest.
Community Listening Session One
April 13, 2022 | 3:30 PM
SCETV and NAMI Mid-Carolina hosted a virtual listening session to discuss community perspectives around the rising rates of suicide among adolescents in South Carolina.
Regional Town Halls and Community Workshops
In Summer 2022, two regional Town Halls will be held. Town Halls will be held in person and will also be livestreamed via social media to engage with communities across the state. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with experts to create an open dialogue of discussion.
In conjunction with the Town Halls, a series of workshops will also be held for families and youth in rural communities around suicide prevention.
Hardeeville Safe Space Town Hall
Hardeeville Recreation Center | Hardeeville, SC
July 26, 2022 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Panel Discussion and Screening Event
In September 2022, SCETV will host a panel discussion around suicide prevention for multi-platform broadcast. The panel will be produced as part of a screening event from SCETV headquarters in Columbia.
Digital and On-Air Campaign
A campaign around suicide prevention featuring prominent South Carolinians will be created and shared via digital and on-air platforms. The campaign is set to begin in September 2022 as part of a rollout campaign around the “Facing Suicide” documentary.
SCETV Safe Space
In support of National Suicide Prevention month, mental health advocates address mental health in the state of S.C. and the need for suicide prevention strategies and awareness for youth throughout the state.
Rock Hill Safe Space Town Hall
You are invited to join South Carolina ETV (SCETV) and the City of Rock HIll for a Town Hall event discussing suicide prevention and mental health initiatives. The event will be in person, but will be livestreamed via social media to engage with communities across the state. Hosted by Councilman Perry Sutton, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with mental health experts to create an open dialogue of discussion. SCETV Education, the SC Department of Mental Health, and the City of Rock Hill will have representatives onsite as well. Refreshments will be served in the Rotunda.
Hardeeville Safe Space Town Hall
Hosted by South Carolina Public Radio's Thelisha Eaddy, the evening's discussion included a representative from NAMI-Mid Carolina, Zenethia Brown, who served as a facilitator. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and interact with mental health experts to create an open dialogue of discussion. SCETV Education, the SC Department of Mental Health, and the City of Hardeeville had representatives onsite as well.
Facts
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in South Carolina.
Nationally, the state ranks 24th in the nation for deaths by suicide.
Additional data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that suicide is highest among the most rural communities in the state and was the third leading cause of death among those aged 10-24.
Resources
Informing various aspects of the initiative are leading suicide prevention organizations including the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the Jed Foundation (JED), and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE).
If you or someone you know are in crisis, or experiencing thoughts of suicide, text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741), or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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