Award-winning Public Exhibit Representing the Number of Students Lost Each Year to Suicide
Active Minds’ Send Silence Packing® – a nationally recognized public education exhibit of 1,100 backpacks, representing the number of students who die by suicide every year – will be on display at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., Oct. 7, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., on the lawn of Building 10. Exhibit is free and open to the public.
Send Silence Packing is a program of Active Minds Inc., the leading national nonprofit organization working to engage students in the conversation about mental health. The powerful outdoor exhibit of 1,100 donated backpacks sheds light on college student suicide and promotes a healthy dialogue around mental health. To give a “face†to the lives lost, personal stories and testimonials written by families and friends accompany the backpacks. Passersby will be invited to walk among the backpacks and read the stories of those who have died. In addition, Active minds will hand out literature on mental health, suicide prevention and where to seek help.
Active Minds was established in 2003 by Alison Malmon – then a junior at the University of Pennsylvania – after tragically losing her only brother, 22-year-old Brian Malmon, to suicide.
“For over 10 years, Active Minds has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about mental health and combat the stigma surrounding it, but our work is never over,†said Malmon, now the executive director of Active minds, Inc. “I’m particularly proud of Send Silence Packing, a powerful visual that really shows how serious of an issue this is on our college campuses.â€
The Fall 2014 tour kicked off in September at George Mason University in Virginia and has traveled to six additional locations throughout the south. More than 300,000 people in 85 cities throughout the country have experienced Send Silence Packing. For more information, visit www.ActiveMinds.org/SendSilencePacking.
Active Minds continues to collect backpacks in honor of loved ones. If you’ve been impacted by suicide you can send in your story to www.Activeminds.org/ShareYourStory.
