Active Minds brought their mobile exhibit “Send Silence Packing” to the Residential Plaza from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 13. The exhibit features over 1000 personal stories of individuals who lost loved ones to suicide taped to backpacks. Many of these individuals wrote about family members who took their own life, but others wrote about friends.

Students can view the photo gallery to see select stories and sections from the exhibit or students can go Behind the Backpacks to view the virtual exhibit and learn more about the stories of the individuals who took their own lives.

Students can also view past exhibits to see what Active Minds has brought to other schools.

For students who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, they should call 911 or the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Students in a crisis situation can also text “BRAVE” to 741-741.

For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, “Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.”

Students can also call the university counseling center at 912-344-2529.

For more information, students can read

1. The university counseling center’s H.E.R.O Folder
2. National Alliance on Mental Health’s (NAMI) Navigating a Mental Health Crisis
3. The counseling center’s suicide prevention tool kit.
4. The George-Anne Inkwell’s “How to help a friend who is thinking about committing suicide,”
5. The George-Anne Inkwell’s “Fresh Check Day: Photo Story”
6. The George-Anne Inkwell’s “Suicidal Thoughts Don’t Discriminate”
7. The George-Anne Inkwell’s “Suicide Prevention on the Armstrong Campus.”