Northwest Minnesota Foundation Supports Teen Suicide Prevention

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF), Bemidji, has supported a suicide prevention program that was created in response to a number of teen suicides in the Fosston area. The foundation's $25,000 grant to The People Connection will fund the expansion of the People's Alliance for Living (PAL) program.

PAL's initial efforts were focused exclusively on the Fosston school district staff and community members, but have since expanded to include activities in Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Polk and Red Lake counties. The foundation's grant will allow the expansion of suicide prevention training and education to the remaining six counties in the NMF service area.

Recent studies have shown that there is a silent epidemic of depression and attempted suicides among teens from across the NMF region, affecting nearly one in 10 high school students. The goal of the PAL project is to reduce the number of suicides in the entire region. To accomplish this goal, PAL will conduct presentations/workshops in the counties of Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, Pennington and Roseau; develop and implement a public and community education plan for the 12 counties; and ensure that all school districts in the region participate in a survey to measure developmental "assets" that are available for each student.

According to Ericka Benson, the key staff person and trainer for PAL, teen suicide can be avoided if people close to them are trained in prevention. "The methods we use are designed to imbed prevention training into the general population, much like CPR training is now commonly available and understood by most individuals," Benson said.

More than 20 partners are currently collaborating throughout the region to make this project successful. Even more will be involved as the project expands into the new counties.

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