We’re Samarah-Mae, Kaisa, and Tae. We are juniors at the Academy of Arts, Careers, and Technology. Together, we are working on a junior service learning project called Shatter the Silence.
Shatter the Silence is a suicide awareness support group to help those struggling with their mental health or with suicidal thoughts. We started this project in hopes of encouraging people to reach out for help — and shatter the silence. This is a personal cause for us as in 2020, Samarah came close to taking her own life until she reached out for help and now wants to help others find the voice she was able to find back then to get the help she needed.
“I watched my friends go through incredibly dark times,” Kaisa also mentioned. “Some felt ending their life was the only option. I was able to talk a few of them out of it, and thankfully one friend in particular is getting professional help, and I watched her slowly begin to heal.”
Being young or adult, life is never easy, but just because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean you should give up. It’s okay to reach out for help and we hope that we can show others there are resources always available. That even when it’s hard or even scary to reach out for help, there are people who care.
Samarah shared how “reaching out was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but once I did I felt so relieved. And if anyone else ever feels like they should give up, you shouldn’t as there are so many beautiful things ahead of you. Just hang in there and you’ll be okay, and you never have to do it alone.”
At the moment, we are currently trying to raise $2,000 on our GofundMe so we can donate the money to mental health organizations in Nevada and so we can begin making suicide awareness support boxes for local hospitals, filled with uplifting messages, items, and resources to remind them they are not alone.
Follow us @shatterthesilencenv for more resources, future fundraisers we’re doing in the area, updates on our project, and possible community service opportunities. If you can donate, we’d really appreciate it! Our GoFundMe is https://gofund.me/59b86ac6 Thank you, everyone!
Find the GoFundMe via their Instagram or by searching for “Support Suicide Awareness in Reno & Sparks.”
