In an effort to raise awareness of the need for suicide prevention strategies, local organization Development of Treatment Services for Mental Health in BC (DOTS) is making a human chain and holding a rally on September 10.
The main goal of DOTS is to “focus awareness on the lack of planning with our provincial and federal governments towards suicide prevention,” says head organizer Jean Oliver, also a Camosun student.
After hearing about a rally and human chain that had been held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Oliver says she knew immediately that it could be done in Victoria.
“It was the missing piece that I’ve been looking for for years, of how to get the public’s attention focused, and the political will needed to focus on the issue of suicide prevention,” says Oliver.
With help from organizations including the Camosun College Students Society (CCSS), of which Oliver is a board member, and the BC Schizophrenia Society Victoria Branch (BCSS Victoria), DOTS hopes to get 1,000 people to line up from the corner of Fort and Richmond all the way to the BC legislature lawns.
“Once we form the human chain, everyone will be given a dot sticker to wear on their clothing [with the name of someone they are supporting], and at 11 am we’re going to hold hands to show the need for mental health care to seamlessly connect,” says Oliver.
After forming the chain, the “human dots” will walk to the BC legislature, where they will hold a commemorative ceremony “for people that we’ve lost and for people who are still struggling,” says Oliver.
They will also sign petitions that will be sent to Ottawa in support of member of parliament Megan Leslie’s private member’s bill calling for the first national suicide prevention strategy in Canada.
Suicide prevention is an important issue for many Victoria organizations, including the CCSS and BCSS Victoria.
“Most students don’t realize it, but the second most prescribed drug covered by our health plan is antidepressants. So mental health issues are a major concern for the student society,” says CCSS director of operations Michel Turcotte.
Hazel Meredith, executive director of BCSS Victoria, says it’s important for our community to raise awareness about suicide and offer hope and help to people facing thoughts of suicide and their family and friends. “None of our community should have to be alone. DOTS brings people together to say we care and we need more help,” says Meredith.
According to the Crisis Centre of BC, more than 100,000 Canadians have died by suicide in the past three decades and suicide is the second leading cause of death in BC for youth aged 12–18.
“Because it’s not spoken about, people are largely unaware of how many young people it’s taking,” says Oliver. “This rally will help to reduce stigma, to reduce the shame that’s attached to this disorder. I see suicide prevention as a gateway issue. We deal with suicide prevention, and a lot of other issues are going to fall into place, are going to go away.”
For more information or to sign up for the rally, go to dotsbc.com, or meet at Fort and Richmond at 10:30 am on September 10.