Boston University students held signs and chanted as they walked through campus in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s “Out of the Darkness” walk Saturday.
Participants said they aimed to make students aware of the risks of not addressing mental health issues with the walk, which was held at BU for the first year.
“There’s such a stigma with mental health and suicide,” said College of Arts and Sciences freshman Rosie Bauder, co-chair of BU’s first “Out of the Darkness” walk. “With the ‘Out of the Darkness’ walk, we’re really trying to drive home the point that it’s okay to talk about it.”
About 50 people, including BU students, Chelsea High School students and Boston locals, gathered behind the George Sherman Union to share their stories about suicide. Walkers donned heart-shaped stickers in rememberance those who committed suicide. The stickers came in various colors, each signifying the participant’s connection to the deceased.
CAS sophomore Simon Wentzell was wearing an orange heart sticker on his shirt, the color symbolizing the loss of a sibling. He said he lost someone who was practically his brother.
“My best friend committed suicide a couple years ago,” Wentzell said. “So I was interested in it because of that. There is no one person to blame, which makes it so much harder. It’s a unique loss.”
Participants walked down Bay State Road and down the esplanade with posters reading, “Out of the Darkness” and “In 2010, 595 people died by suicide in Massachusetts.”
Boston-area AFSP director Melanie Varady spoke to students about the need to talk openly about any issues.
“We want to make sure students know about it and support each other,” she said. “We want to make it okay for them to talk to people and tell them if they’re feeling low.”
Participants raised more than $4,500, which will be given partly to the AFSP and to other local organizations that contribute to suicide prevention, said CAS freshman Swanson Ninan, co-chair of the walk.
Bauder said she plans to start a BU AFSP chapter and make the “Out of the Darkness” walk annual.
Ninan said he and Bauder are working with Student Health Services, which already has support in place, to increase awareness, specifically of depression and the risks of suicide.
“[The Student Support Network, through the psychiatric department, and AFSP] could really be effective tools to educate people and help them know how to communicate effectively with others when they are in distress,” Bauder said.
Brendan Cobb, a freshman in the College of Fine Arts, said he participated in the walk because he felt strongly that AFSP does great work with suicide prevention.
“Today is a walk to give awareness and to just share in a group community experience,” Cobb said.
Julia Case, a CAS sophomore, said she was glad to see more than just BU students becoming aware of this problem.
“Tour groups on Bay State recognized the walk,” Case said. “This really raised awareness, not only in our community, but also with those outside of BU.”
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Awesome article, Amy!