Organizing an AFSP National Survivors of Suicide Day Conference Site
November E-Bulletin
Dear Organizers,
Thanks to your dedication, there are over 260 sites this year in a total of 19 countries and more survivors than ever before will benefit from this powerful program.
As always, the step-by-step guide to organizing a conference site contains detailed information on what to do leading up to National Survivors of Suicide Day: www.afsp.org/survivorconference, but if you have any questions at all, please be in touch.
« THE BROADCAST
· All sites: If you haven’t done so already, give your local Technical Organizer the Technical Information Sheet.
· DVD: All Primary Site Organizers will receive the DVD in the mail no later than Thursday, November 11th. (If you do not receive the DVD by the end of the business day on Nov. 11th email rthorp@afsp.org.) Test the DVD right away, preferably using the same equipment you plan to use on November 20th.
· Webcast: If you are showing the webcast, you must perform tests in advance on November 15th and the morning of November 20th. Details are listed on page 2 in the Technical Information Sheet.
« MATERIALS
Along with the DVD, each Primary Site Organizer will receive the following items for distribution to attendees. (Again, If you do not receive the package by the end of the business day on Nov. 11th, email rthorp@afsp.org right away.)
* Attendee Evaluation forms.
* Flyers depicting the specially-designed collection of AFSP Remembrance Jewelry (proceeds help support survivor programs)
* Flyers describing the Out of the Darkness Overnight and Community Walks.
For Additional Materials:
1. Click here to print out articles and resources free of charge.
2. Materials may also be ordered for a nominal charge by visiting the AFSP Store. Be sure to place your order TODAY so you receive everything in time.
« PREPARE FOR THE ‘DAY OF’
AFSP’s free 90-minute broadcast will provide the main program content for your conference, but many organizers also add local programming like break out support groups, food, healing activities, or speakers. See Ideas for Local Programming for suggestions.
· Plan to arrive early. The Primary Organizer and the Technical Organizer should plan to arrive at least 90 minutes before the conference begins to test the DVD, all audio-visual equipment and webcast connections (if applicable). Other volunteers can be asked to arrive at least 1 hour in advance to help set up room(s), post signage, & greet attendees.
· Finalize plans for greeting attendees. First impressions count. We highly recommend having at least 1 greeter at the door, and 1 greeter who can take down the names of your attendees and hand out materials and optional items like name tags or colored ribbons/beads that signify loss relationship.
· Finalize room set up. Make sure you have enough chairs plus all the necessary tech equipment. If you plan to have food, activities, or break out groups, make sure you have space allocated. It’s also nice to have tissues in each room.
· Create large, clear signage that says “National Survivors of Suicide Day” for outside the building. You may also need additional signage inside the building, especially if you are using multiple rooms.
Please be in touch if you have any questions at all. We are here to help.
Thanks, and take good care,
Joanne and Rebecca
Joanne Harpel, Director of Survivor Initiatives -jharpel@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 ext. 32.
Rebecca Thorp, Survivor Initiatives Manager - rthorp@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 ext. 33.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10005
Fax (212) 363-6237
www.afsp.org
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hi,
My name is Sam, a blogger from Mumbai. Although the blog is a reflection of my gay thoughts, it has large number of straight audience (men and women) as well.
As you know, there was a series of suicides in US because they had to suffer homophobic abuse. And October 20th is selected as the day to commemorate them.
Homophobia is everywhere; India is no exception. And many Indians must have gone through similar hardships. On this occasion, I'm planning to do a post on how homophobic abuse is a reality for Indians as well. If any of you have been unfortunate to be at the receiving end of this hatred, I request you to mail me your experience.
Also want to ask if we are doing something special on October 20th, it would be great if I could get information on this too.
I'm planning to put this post up by 17th. Do mail me at samurain4u@gmail.com before 16th.
Every information regarding my blog can be accessed from my signature below. Look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Sam
--
The Straight-Friendly Gay Blog
Website | Facebook | Twitter
My name is Sam, a blogger from Mumbai. Although the blog is a reflection of my gay thoughts, it has large number of straight audience (men and women) as well.
As you know, there was a series of suicides in US because they had to suffer homophobic abuse. And October 20th is selected as the day to commemorate them.
Homophobia is everywhere; India is no exception. And many Indians must have gone through similar hardships. On this occasion, I'm planning to do a post on how homophobic abuse is a reality for Indians as well. If any of you have been unfortunate to be at the receiving end of this hatred, I request you to mail me your experience.
Also want to ask if we are doing something special on October 20th, it would be great if I could get information on this too.
I'm planning to put this post up by 17th. Do mail me at samurain4u@gmail.com before 16th.
Every information regarding my blog can be accessed from my signature below. Look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Sam
--
The Straight-Friendly Gay Blog
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Organizing an AFSP National Survivors of Suicide Day Conference Site
October E-Bulletin
National Survivors of Suicide Day is Saturday, November 20th
Over 210 of you have registered conference sites – thank you. If you haven’t already done so, please Register Your Site as soon as possible to add it to the list of participating cities.
The 2010 step-by-step guide has detailed instructions on how to organize a site, but if you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch. We are here to help.
« GETTING READY
If you haven’t done so already, the following are high priority items:
· Publicize, Publicize, Publicize! Local publicity is essential to attract attendees For ideas, sample fliers and more, see the Publicity Toolkit in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.
· Give your local technical organizer the 2010 Technical Information Sheet.
· Place any orders for brochures or books from the AFSP Online Store no later than Friday, October 29th. (Sites outside of the continental U.S. will need to place orders no later than Friday, October 22nd.)
« FINALIZE ‘DAY OF’ LOGISTICS
As you know, the only requirement for the day is to show AFSP’s 90-minute broadcast. You are serving the community simply by organizing a place for survivors of suicide loss to gather together in healing. Any other aspects of your conference– local speakers, food, discussion groups, activities – are optional. A list of ideas can be found in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.
Prepare opening comments. The Primary Organizer (or a volunteer) should offer a short welcome, explain the purpose of the day (see Key Messages*) and give a quick overview of what attendees can expect. This sets the tone for the rest of the day. You don’t have to be a polished speaker to give a sincere welcome, but do practice a bit with colleagues, friends, loved ones, or a mirror if you aren’t used to public speaking.
Candle Lighting Ceremony. The opening of the broadcast includes a candle lighting ceremony, and all sites are warmly invited to participate. You’ll need two candles in candlestick holders, and matches. If your location does not allow open flames, you can use flameless candles, which are available for purchase from stores like Target and Kmart.
Volunteers. Make sure all your volunteers have assigned tasks for the day and that they are wearing something (a pin, ribbon, or nametag) so that attendees know who the volunteers are. Thank your volunteers in your opening and/or closing remarks.
Finalize plans for greeting and registration. First impressions count. We highly recommend having at least 1 greeter at the door, and a table of at 2 volunteers who can greet attendees warmly, take down registration information (at a minimum - name, mailing address, email address), answer questions, direct people to restrooms, and hand out materials and optional items like name tags or color-coded ribbons/beads that signify loss relationship. (For details on optional items, see Ideas for Local Programming in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.) It is very important to have enough people at the registration table so that signing in and welcoming goes smoothly. Attendees will feel more relaxed if they see that everything is well-organized and under control. It is also helpful to have someone at the registration table throughout the day to answer questions.
We hope to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks, and take good care,
Joanne and Rebecca
Joanne Harpel, Director of Survivor Initiatives -jharpel@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 ext. 32
Rebecca Thorp, Survivor Initiatives Manager - rthorp@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 x33.
ØIf you don't wish to receive future emails about organizing a conference site, just let us know by return email.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
Phone (212) 363-3500
New York, NY 10005
Fax (212) 363-6237
www.afsp.org
October E-Bulletin
National Survivors of Suicide Day is Saturday, November 20th
Over 210 of you have registered conference sites – thank you. If you haven’t already done so, please Register Your Site as soon as possible to add it to the list of participating cities.
The 2010 step-by-step guide has detailed instructions on how to organize a site, but if you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch. We are here to help.
« GETTING READY
If you haven’t done so already, the following are high priority items:
· Publicize, Publicize, Publicize! Local publicity is essential to attract attendees For ideas, sample fliers and more, see the Publicity Toolkit in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.
· Give your local technical organizer the 2010 Technical Information Sheet.
· Place any orders for brochures or books from the AFSP Online Store no later than Friday, October 29th. (Sites outside of the continental U.S. will need to place orders no later than Friday, October 22nd.)
« FINALIZE ‘DAY OF’ LOGISTICS
As you know, the only requirement for the day is to show AFSP’s 90-minute broadcast. You are serving the community simply by organizing a place for survivors of suicide loss to gather together in healing. Any other aspects of your conference– local speakers, food, discussion groups, activities – are optional. A list of ideas can be found in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.
Prepare opening comments. The Primary Organizer (or a volunteer) should offer a short welcome, explain the purpose of the day (see Key Messages*) and give a quick overview of what attendees can expect. This sets the tone for the rest of the day. You don’t have to be a polished speaker to give a sincere welcome, but do practice a bit with colleagues, friends, loved ones, or a mirror if you aren’t used to public speaking.
Candle Lighting Ceremony. The opening of the broadcast includes a candle lighting ceremony, and all sites are warmly invited to participate. You’ll need two candles in candlestick holders, and matches. If your location does not allow open flames, you can use flameless candles, which are available for purchase from stores like Target and Kmart.
Volunteers. Make sure all your volunteers have assigned tasks for the day and that they are wearing something (a pin, ribbon, or nametag) so that attendees know who the volunteers are. Thank your volunteers in your opening and/or closing remarks.
Finalize plans for greeting and registration. First impressions count. We highly recommend having at least 1 greeter at the door, and a table of at 2 volunteers who can greet attendees warmly, take down registration information (at a minimum - name, mailing address, email address), answer questions, direct people to restrooms, and hand out materials and optional items like name tags or color-coded ribbons/beads that signify loss relationship. (For details on optional items, see Ideas for Local Programming in the appendix at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.) It is very important to have enough people at the registration table so that signing in and welcoming goes smoothly. Attendees will feel more relaxed if they see that everything is well-organized and under control. It is also helpful to have someone at the registration table throughout the day to answer questions.
We hope to hear from you if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks, and take good care,
Joanne and Rebecca
Joanne Harpel, Director of Survivor Initiatives -jharpel@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 ext. 32
Rebecca Thorp, Survivor Initiatives Manager - rthorp@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 x33.
ØIf you don't wish to receive future emails about organizing a conference site, just let us know by return email.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
Phone (212) 363-3500
New York, NY 10005
Fax (212) 363-6237
www.afsp.org
Befriending centers in Srilanka do their bit for Suicide Prevention Day
Head office-We were able to get the same sponsor as last year, DFCC bank to sponsor the ‘flag, leaflet and poster campaign’ for 2010. These were distributed to all branches island wide. It was also decided to continue this campaign for a week starting from the 10th September. Some Public awareness progs were conducted before the 10th.
Colombo-
Held a Media conference on the 9th Sep. at the centre where they highlighted the media guidelines for journalists when reporting suicides. (especially targeting journalists because of the recent spate of teenage suicides and copycat suicides) Founder member made the journalists aware of ‘Sumithrayo’ and ‘Suicide’ and the services offered. The role of the head office and the Rural Programme where they work in over 80 villages was also discussed.
Training new volunteers; is a challenging task with the many young, talented, knowledgeable young people joining the centre. (They wish to know if there are new strategies in training new vols?) They find that most of them have gone through excellent training progs, workshops and even study courses such as counseling etc.
Katunayaka – Visited public areas in groups handing out flags, posters and handouts making them aware of ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’. This way they were able to hold informal discussions re the many issues they faced in their daily life, including school children.
Areas visited were bus stands, markets and town centre.
A huge problem they face is the lack of volunteers. Most of the volunteers are retired but are committed. What they need are younger volunteers to bring some life into the centre.
Mawanella –Conducted an awareness prog. To A level and O level students from five schools in the area. A very good response received. Three professional speakers and volunteer Hema conducted the programme. Hema’s presentation made the students aware of ‘Sumithrayo’ and the free service we offer and ‘Suicide’.
Flags, Posters and handouts were also distributed.
Panadura – the major event was pinning the first flag to remember world suicide prevention day on the first lady of our country.
Flags and tills were distributed among private schools, Police station and the base hospital along with Sumithrayo posters and brochures.
Panduwasnuwere –Distributed Posters, Flags and handouts. The volunteers printed their own leaflet which described Sumithrayo and services in a simple way to be easily understood by villagers and school children. Also making them aware of the dangers of pesticides and cautioning the people marketing these products.
Conducted programmes for young adults.
They hope to conduct a programme at the Mental Hospital for Doctors and staff.
Kandy. Publicity re Sumithrayo was given by a popular radio programme 2 days prior to 10th September. Also advertised the Awareness programme they hope to conduct on Saturday 18th September at the Police auditorium for the public and all police personal attached to Kandy. Flag, posters and handouts will be distributed at this event.
Kurunegala- conducted awareness prog. At base hospital and distributed flags, posters and leaflets. The volunteers conducted the same prog. on the 12th to the people in the market place. Distribution of flags, posters and handouts were given after conducting prog for school children and teaching staff from a village with a high rate of suicide deaths.
Matale- One week prior to 10th September posters were pasted in the Matale town. Flags and leaflets were distributed among the staff working in government and mercantile sectors. The first flags were pinned on two respected citizens of Matale. 10th Sep. fell on a very important Muslim festival day. The volunteers conducted an awareness session after the prayers outside the mosque. This resulted in the priest requesting the volunteers to conduct a programme to a group of people selected by the priest.
Kohuwela- Flags and leaflets were distributed at bus stands and while traveling on buses especially on routes taken by buses passing their centre. School children immediately visited the centre after these reading the leaflets and talking with volunteers.
Lunugamvehera- distributed flags, handouts and pasted the posters in villages and town. Informal discussions took place while distributing same.
Head office-We were able to get the same sponsor as last year, DFCC bank to sponsor the ‘flag, leaflet and poster campaign’ for 2010. These were distributed to all branches island wide. It was also decided to continue this campaign for a week starting from the 10th September. Some Public awareness progs were conducted before the 10th.
Colombo-
Held a Media conference on the 9th Sep. at the centre where they highlighted the media guidelines for journalists when reporting suicides. (especially targeting journalists because of the recent spate of teenage suicides and copycat suicides) Founder member made the journalists aware of ‘Sumithrayo’ and ‘Suicide’ and the services offered. The role of the head office and the Rural Programme where they work in over 80 villages was also discussed.
Training new volunteers; is a challenging task with the many young, talented, knowledgeable young people joining the centre. (They wish to know if there are new strategies in training new vols?) They find that most of them have gone through excellent training progs, workshops and even study courses such as counseling etc.
Katunayaka – Visited public areas in groups handing out flags, posters and handouts making them aware of ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’. This way they were able to hold informal discussions re the many issues they faced in their daily life, including school children.
Areas visited were bus stands, markets and town centre.
A huge problem they face is the lack of volunteers. Most of the volunteers are retired but are committed. What they need are younger volunteers to bring some life into the centre.
Mawanella –Conducted an awareness prog. To A level and O level students from five schools in the area. A very good response received. Three professional speakers and volunteer Hema conducted the programme. Hema’s presentation made the students aware of ‘Sumithrayo’ and the free service we offer and ‘Suicide’.
Flags, Posters and handouts were also distributed.
Panadura – the major event was pinning the first flag to remember world suicide prevention day on the first lady of our country.
Flags and tills were distributed among private schools, Police station and the base hospital along with Sumithrayo posters and brochures.
Panduwasnuwere –Distributed Posters, Flags and handouts. The volunteers printed their own leaflet which described Sumithrayo and services in a simple way to be easily understood by villagers and school children. Also making them aware of the dangers of pesticides and cautioning the people marketing these products.
Conducted programmes for young adults.
They hope to conduct a programme at the Mental Hospital for Doctors and staff.
Kandy. Publicity re Sumithrayo was given by a popular radio programme 2 days prior to 10th September. Also advertised the Awareness programme they hope to conduct on Saturday 18th September at the Police auditorium for the public and all police personal attached to Kandy. Flag, posters and handouts will be distributed at this event.
Kurunegala- conducted awareness prog. At base hospital and distributed flags, posters and leaflets. The volunteers conducted the same prog. on the 12th to the people in the market place. Distribution of flags, posters and handouts were given after conducting prog for school children and teaching staff from a village with a high rate of suicide deaths.
Matale- One week prior to 10th September posters were pasted in the Matale town. Flags and leaflets were distributed among the staff working in government and mercantile sectors. The first flags were pinned on two respected citizens of Matale. 10th Sep. fell on a very important Muslim festival day. The volunteers conducted an awareness session after the prayers outside the mosque. This resulted in the priest requesting the volunteers to conduct a programme to a group of people selected by the priest.
Kohuwela- Flags and leaflets were distributed at bus stands and while traveling on buses especially on routes taken by buses passing their centre. School children immediately visited the centre after these reading the leaflets and talking with volunteers.
Lunugamvehera- distributed flags, handouts and pasted the posters in villages and town. Informal discussions took place while distributing same.
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