Getting Started

1. Get Going

Communities and individuals interested in taking action to prevent suicide can start by gathering information. Website managed by the Suicide Prevention Action Network, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, and the American Association of Suicidology contain a wealth of information about suicide and prevention actions.

You may also want to become familiar with suicide statistics in your state or community. These statistics will help you understand the issues and mobilize other people to join or otherwise support your efforts.

You may learn about prior and planned suicide prevention efforts by talking to people in your community. Some of the questions you might ask are:

• What do you see as the major suicide risks in your community?
• What actions were taken to prevent suicide?
• What actions were planned?
• Who was involved?
• Who was not involved but would have been helpful if they had participated?
• What are some of the challenges you encountered or anticipate will be encountered?

To implement change, you may benefit from the help and support of others who share your passion for preventing suicide. Be sure to include professionals and non-professionals from diverse backgrounds. Consider suicide survivors, mental health professionals, existing coalitions, the faith-based community, school administrators, your neighbors, and others. The web contains information on how to build coalitions. One site created by Washington’s Youth Suicide Prevention Program recommends three steps to start a coalition:

1. Contact new members and potential members.
2. Define roles and responsibilities.
3. Set meeting guidelines.

When talking to new members and potential members, talk about the problem rather than possible solutions. For example, if you are motivated to action by a young student who died by suicide, convince others to join your effort to keep students from dying by suicide, rather than advocating suicide screening in schools. Your coalition may ultimately decide to take a broader approach by implementing screening along with suicide prevention training and a media campaign.

Keep in mind that change may not occur simply because passionate people come together to do the right thing. Implementation at a community level is not just a rational process but is essentially a “political” process. It is important not just to create a “Coalition of the Willing” that includes current stakeholders in suicide prevention, but to include all community stakeholders in business, government, non-profits, and local leadership. Individuals and organizations are more likely to become and stay involved in suicide prevention activities if the message is presented as a win-win situation, and if participation will help advance their own goals, rather than just being the right thing to do.

Environmental scanning is a method for obtaining and keeping the interest of coalition members and other stakeholders. During an environmental scan, you try to understand the forces shaping the organizations in a community. Successful implementation will only be possible if incentives are aligned in a way which supports the desired suicide prevention activities. By seeking to understand the incentive systems for each major organizational stakeholder, you will be able to predict their support and identify potential barriers which need to be overcome.

After review of available documented information, identify reliable key informants who can help identify champions and opinion leaders who may or may not have formal leadership position, key community issues, attitudes, and historical events which might impact support for suicide prevention activities.