Dist. 303's third forum focuses on suicide support outside of school

One shadow hanging over the St. Charles Unit District 303 summit on student suicide has always been its timing.

High school graduations are set for this weekend, meaning any changes the district put in place won't directly impact the bulk of students until the start of the next school year. In between will be a long summer with a little extra tension following the revelation from students during the summit that they have no clue where to turn in the community for help if they are depressed and contemplating suicide.

That problem was focus of Wednesday night's summit. The meeting was the third in a four-part series of community gatherings designed to address the problem of six student suicides in the district within the past seven years.

Nine different community organizations gathered at the summit to present themselves as outlets for students to find help with whatever emotional hardships the encounter outside the confines of school. All nine expressed a desire to find new ways to reach out to students who need help. One of the more innovative suggestions involved contacting businesses that serve as summer hangouts for area youth (malls, fast food restaurants, movie theaters) and providing them with literature they can insert into the shopping bags of youths they encounter. Another suggestion involved sending out text messages or creating Facebook pages that provide contact info about various community organizations where help is available. The more such information is provided and discussed, the more the stigma of asking for help will be diminished, summit participants said.

Panel participants also spoke about how to deal with the phenomenon of cyberbullying. Beyond getting Facebook pages deleted for inappropriate content, Karen Short of Delnor Hospital stressed the importance of understanding the anonymity of electronic communication doesn't remove the emotional damage a hurtful rumor can cause someone.

"There's this sense that it's not real, it's not face-to-face, you're not having to see the other person and their reactions," Short said. She reminded students of the value of in-person interaction.

Bill Nesbit, rector of St. Charles Episcopal Church, also reminded students that the various religious organizations in their area are always willing to help in any way they can.

"Remember that your priest or pastor is a resource," Nesbit said. "They will always take a call from somebody that is on the edge. The big job of the clergy is to bring hope and energy into the world."

The district will take all the input and develop an action plan for changes that it will present at the final suicide summit next Wednesday night.