Every September 10, communities around the world recognize World Suicide Prevention Day.
The purpose is larger than a date on a calendar. It is an opportunity to talk responsibly about suicide.
- To challenge stigma.
- To make support easier to find.
- To learn how to listen.
- To remember people who have died without reducing their lives to their deaths.
And to remind people who are struggling that reaching for help is possible.
For Serve It Up for Life, September 10 carries particular meaning. Our organization began after Christopher “Ryan” Collins died by suicide at age 20. His family could have kept that loss private. Instead, they chose to talk.
They created the CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament. They began raising money for mental health. They invited people into the conversation. And what started with one family has grown into a community of players, sponsors, volunteers and advocates.
World Suicide Prevention Day gives all of us an opportunity to ask:
What can we do—not just today, but throughout the year—to make our community more connected?
Suicide Prevention Is Bigger Than Awareness
Awareness is important. But awareness alone is not enough. We can wear a ribbon. Share a graphic. Change a profile photo. Post a statistic. Those actions may introduce someone to the issue, but prevention also requires action.
That can mean:
- Making crisis resources visible
- Learning how to listen
- Encouraging professional support
- Reducing stigma around mental-health treatment
- Supporting prevention organizations
- Creating safer workplaces and schools
- Strengthening community relationships
- Helping people know where to turn
- Supporting families affected by suicide
- Communicating responsibly about suicide
World Suicide Prevention Day should therefore be something we participate in—not simply something we observe.
September 10 Is a Global Call to Action
World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on September 10. The World Health Organization identifies its purpose as increasing awareness around the world that suicide can be prevented. That message is important.
Suicide should never be portrayed as unavoidable. People can receive support. Mental-health conditions can be treated. Crises can change. Communities can become safer.
Hope is not a slogan. It is an essential part of responsible prevention communication.
We Need Better Conversations
Mental health can still be difficult to discuss. People worry about being judged. Families sometimes do not know what to say. Friends may sense that something is wrong but hesitate to ask. Employers may have resources that employees do not know exist. Young people may talk about their struggles with friends online long before speaking to an adult. Silence does not solve those problems.
But neither does forcing someone to disclose something they are not ready to discuss. Better conversations begin with respect. They create room. They listen. They avoid judgment.
Sometimes the most important question is simple:
“How are you really doing?”
And the next step is being willing to hear the answer.
Listening Does Not Mean Becoming a Therapist
One reason people hesitate to ask about mental health is the fear that they will not know what to do next. You do not have to become someone’s therapist. In fact, you should not attempt to.
Friends, family members, teammates and coworkers play a different role. They can listen. They can take concerns seriously. They can encourage professional support. They can help someone locate resources. They can stay present while the person connects with help.
And in a crisis, they can help connect that person with trained crisis professionals.
That is meaningful.
Know 988 Before You Need It
In the United States, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides call, text and chat support. You do not need to memorize an entire directory of services.
Remember three numbers: 988
Save them in your phone. Teach them to your family. Include them in your workplace resource list. Place them in your organization’s materials.
Knowing where to turn before a crisis occurs removes one barrier when someone needs help.
Remembering Someone Responsibly
World Suicide Prevention Day is also a time when many families remember someone they have lost. Serve It Up for Life was created from exactly that experience. But memorializing a person who died by suicide requires care.
We choose to remember Ryan as a whole person.
- A son.
- A friend.
- A gamer.
- A person others turned to.
His death is part of his story. It is not the entirety of his identity.
Instead, we can tell the truth while also focusing on:
- Life
- Connection
- Support
- Help
- Community
- Healing
- Action
That is the kind of legacy Serve It Up for Life wants to create.
What Albuquerque Can Do on September 10
World Suicide Prevention Day can become more meaningful when communities move beyond social-media awareness. Here are ways New Mexicans can participate.
Check In With Someone
Contact a person you have not heard from recently. Not because you have diagnosed them. Because relationships matter.
Share 988
A simple resource post may reach someone who needs it.
Talk About Mental Health at Work
Ask whether employees know what mental-health benefits and Employee Assistance Program resources are available.
Invite a Mental-Health Professional to Speak
Schools, businesses, sports organizations and community groups can invite qualified professionals to provide education.
Support Local Organizations
Donate or volunteer with organizations doing legitimate mental-health and prevention work.
Learn Responsible Language
Use language such as “died by suicide” rather than stigmatizing or sensational terminology.
Join a Community
Connection can happen through sports, gaming, volunteering, faith communities, arts organizations, service clubs or countless other spaces.
Ask What You Can Do the Other 364 Days
That may be the most important action of all.
From Awareness to Action in Albuquerque
The CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament gives Serve It Up for Life a tangible way to turn awareness into community participation. This October, players, volunteers, sponsors and advocates will gather again in Albuquerque for the third annual tournament.
The day will include tennis. But the mission extends beyond tennis. Every person who attends becomes another person exposed to the conversation. Every sponsor becomes another organization publicly supporting the cause. Every volunteer expands the network.
Every player can bring someone new. Every media story can reach another family. That is how an awareness day becomes sustained action.
Businesses Can Participate Too
World Suicide Prevention Day is an appropriate time for employers to ask:
- Do our employees know what resources are available?
- Are managers prepared to respond appropriately when an employee is struggling?
- Is mental-health care included in our benefits communication?
- Are we normalizing treatment or unintentionally stigmatizing it?
- Are there local organizations we can support?
- Can our employees participate in community mental-health initiatives?
Serve It Up for Life welcomes employers interested in combining community sponsorship with employee participation.
The most meaningful corporate engagement is not another branded post. It is doing something.
Gamers Can Participate Too
Ryan was a gamer. That makes gaming communities part of our story.
World Suicide Prevention Day provides an opportunity for streamers, esports organizations, Discord communities and gaming businesses to share reliable resources and encourage healthier conversations.
Our developing Controllers to Courts initiative hopes to connect gaming and tennis communities through charity streams, events and volunteer efforts.
The message is simple: Wherever people gather, connection matters.
Hope Is Part of Prevention
Public communication about suicide should never leave people believing that nothing can change.
- Crises can pass.
- Treatment can help.
- People can recover.
- Relationships can strengthen.
- Resources exist.
That is why responsible suicide-prevention communication focuses not only on risk, but also on hope, help and action.
World Suicide Prevention Day should leave people with something useful:
- A resource.
- A conversation.
- A connection.
- A reason to reach out.
- A reason to stay.
What Will You Do With September 10?
You do not need to launch a nonprofit. You do not need to organize a tournament. You do not need to become an expert.
Choose one action.
- Call someone.
- Listen.
- Learn.
- Share 988.
- Volunteer.
- Support an organization.
- Invite someone to the tournament.
- Ask your employer to participate.
- Start a conversation.
Then do not wait another year to do it again.
Turn Awareness Into Action
Volunteer at this years CRC Memorial Tennis Event >>
If You or Someone You Know Needs Support
Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
If there is immediate danger or a life-threatening emergency, contact emergency services.
Serve It Up for Life does not provide clinical treatment or crisis-intervention services.
