Prevention of Teenage Suicide Guyana [POTS] Guyana will be holding a memorial walk at 6am, starting from Charlotte and Camp Street, on Sunday September 9th. Also in observance of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th the body is set to host a suicide prevention seminar at the Umana Yana starting at 10am. At 2:30pm a suicide prevention awareness concert will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for students and teenagers. Also at 6pm a candlelight vigil outside the Sports Hall.
This is the third annual memorial walk held by POTS Guyana, which helps to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health issues. The World Health Organization reports that over 900,000 people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds. The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined.
POTS Guyana President, Lisa Punch, says, “It is imperative that our young people who are despairing and having suicidal thoughts know that there is help available. All you need to do is to ask for help. We expect 100 people to turn out. These walks mean so much to the survivors of suicide. We expect 50 persons at the seminar which is in collaboration with PYARG. The concert will feature our best artists. It’s amazing to see entertainers take time out to give back to our future generation.”
POTS Guyana is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to reducing suicide in Guyana and provides bereavement support services to survivors of suicide, and education talks. Established in 2014, the organization has grown to 60 volunteers. World Suicide Prevention Day is sponsored by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), a global association of academics, mental health professionals, crisis workers, volunteers and suicide survivors from over 50 countries who are devoted to preventing suicidal behaviour, and alleviating its effects. POTS Guyana is proud to be associated with them.