YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM LISTED ON BEST PRACTICE REGISTRY

Contact:          

Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas                                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CEO & Co-Founder

Carson J Spencer Foundation

720-244-6535

Sally@CarsonJSpencer.org

YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM LISTED ON BEST PRACTICE REGISTRY

The FIRE Within Youth Social Entrepreneurship Program Recognized on World Suicide Prevention Day

Denver, Colorado. September 10, 2013.  Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Carson J Spencer Foundation is pleased to announce today that its FIRE Within program has been listed in Section III of the SPRC/AFSP Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention (BPR). Practices listed in Section III of the BPR address specific objectives of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and their content has been reviewed by a panel of suicide prevention experts for accuracy, safety, likelihood of meeting goals and objectives, and adherence to prevention program guidelines.  The FIRE Within program, a program of the Carson J Spencer Foundation in partnership with Junior Achievement and the Second Wind Fund, is currently expanding to 50 high schools in Colorado. The program uses principles of impact entrepreneurship to help develop student leaders in suicide prevention. Over the course of an academic year, the FIRE Within students create businesses that generate revenue while also addressing root causes of student distress. Positive outcomes for the FIRE Within program are evident in the areas of youth development, mental health outreach, and business education. For more information: http://www.sprc.org/bpr/section-III/fire-within-youth-entrepreneurs-preventing-suicide

“We are thrilled to have this credential to support our innovative work in youth suicide prevention,” said Jess Stohlmann, Program Director for the FIRE Within. “We will continue to develop and refine practices that promote mental health, student leadership, and community resiliency.”

 

“One of the most exciting outcomes for us to see is how many of our youth connect others to mental health resources – about 65% of our students do this during the year they are in our program,” said Sally Spencer-Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder of the Carson J Spencer Foundation. “The ripple effects of this level of reaching out are tremendous.”

A fact sheet describing the FIRE Within program is posted in Section III of the Best Practices Registry, located on Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s website (www.sprc.org). For additional information about the FIRE Within, visit our website (www.CarsonJSpencer.org) or contact Sally Spencer-Thomas at 720-244-6535 or Sally@CarsonJSpencer.org.

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About the Carson J Spencer Foundation - Sustaining a Passion for Living

The Carson J Spencer Foundation (www.CarsonJSpencer.org) is a Colorado nonprofit, established in 2005.  We envision a world where leaders and communities are committed to sustaining a passion for living. We sustain a passion for living by:

• Delivering innovative and effective suicide prevention programs for working-aged people
• Coaching young leaders to develop social enterprises for mental health promotion and suicide prevention
• Supporting people bereaved by suicide