WEST MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Last year Ouachita Parish dealt with a cluster of teen suicides. Seven in just thirteen months. Psychologist said that's a large number of death for such a young age group. And just one teen death by suicide can rip a community apart.
"It shakes the community to a level that's hard to explain, emotionally, spiritually, educationally," said psychologist Flint Smith. "We all have to step back and re-evaluate what are we doing with our kids."
Smith said the district will be making a new approach to suicide prevention this upcoming school year. The school board is adopting a grass roots program called Rachel's Challenge to teach teens how replace acts of violence with acts of kindness.
Rachel's Challenge is based on the life and writings of Rachel Scott - the first victim of the Columbine school shootings in 1999.
"It's extremely important to have a program that targets the climate of a school," said Smith. "And how people treat each other," said Smith.
Smith said many teens who commit suicide don't necessarily want to die, they just want to stop the pain. And simple acts of kindness may help save one person's life.
"With his program, one person can step into your life and say you matter, you're important, said Smith. "I don't care what else is going on in your life, you're valuable."
August 9th, the school board is inviting local businesses and organizations together to raise awareness and money to support Rachel's challenge. The event will be held at ULM from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. in the Hemphill Hall College of Business.
Friday, May 17 2013 12:09 PM EDT2013-05-17 16:09:18 GMT
FARMERVILLE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The family of a Farmerville teen who died at football practice last week says it is overwhelmed by the community's gratitude.
FARMERVILLE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The family of a Farmerville teen who died at football practice last week says it is overwhelmed by the community's gratitude.
