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AFSP International Survivors of Suicide Day

Saturday, November 19, 2011


Organizing a Conference Site: July E-Bulletin



Many of you have called or emailed to let us know you are definitely organizing a local conference site for International Survivors of Suicide Day. Thank you! We hope to hear from even more of you soon.



If you haven’t registered your site yet, don’t forget to complete the Site Registration Form as soon as you have a location finalized and we’ll add your site to the list of participating cities.


The step-by-step guide at www.afsp.org/survivorconference provides information on every aspect of planning your day, but you can also reply to this message or call Rebecca Thorp at 212-363-3500 ext 2033 if you have any questions. We are here to help.





« JULY FOCUS «



ONGOING LOCAL PROMOTION AND PUBLICITY



Even if you don’t have a location confirmed yet – don’t wait to start promoting your conference. Distribute Save the Date Postcards now. Ongoing local promotion and publicity is essential for reaching your target audience of newly bereaved survivors of suicide loss. The online guide to organizing a site gives step-by-step instructions, and customizable flyers, sample email announcements, and more. Just click here.



Who should you contact? Get the word out to organizations/agencies and individuals who are most likely to come into contact with bereaved individuals. Support groups, AFSP Lifekeeper Memory Quilt Organizers, hospices, funeral directors associations, mental health agencies, and more. A complete list is provided in step 4 at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.



Reach out to new survivors: 70% of attendees each year have never participated in this day before, and over 50% have lost a loved one within the past 2 years. If you organized a site last year, you’ll need to get the word out to new survivors in addition to inviting those who already attended.



HELPING SURVIVORS CONNECT



Survivors overwhelmingly tell us that having the opportunity to talk with other survivors was one of the most helpful aspects of International Survivors of Suicide Day. Many tell us that this is the very first time they’ve ever spoken openly about their loss.



Here are 3 ways to help survivors connect with one another at your conference. Details on all of the items below can be found in Ideas for Local Programming and in step 6 of the guide at www.afsp.org/survivorconference.



Provide name tags. The easiest way to do this is to have blank tags at your registration/greeting table with markers.

Provide color-coded ribbons, mardi-gras style beads, or a colored sticker to signify loss relationship so attendees can see at a glance that they have certain losses in common with others. Make a poster-board that explains what the ribbons or stickers are for and what the colors mean.

AFSP uses the following colors at the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walks:
white = loss of a child
gold or yellow = loss of a parent
orange = loss of a sibling
red = loss of a spouse/partner/significant other
purple = loss of a friend or other family member
blue =supporting the cause generally.

Plan sharing sessions: You can provide informal opportunities for survivors to connect, but providing structured sharing sessions is incredibly helpful for breaking the ice and opening up conversation. Learn how in Ideas for Local Programming.

We are here to help, so please be in touch if you have any questions at all.


Thanks, and take good care,

Joanne and Rebecca

*Please note our new phone extensions and mailing address*

Rebecca Thorp, Survivor Initiatives Manager - rthorp@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 x2033.
Joanne Harpel, Senior Director for Public Affairs and Postvention -jharpel@afsp.org or 212-363-3500 ext. 2032

ØIf you don't want to receive future emails about organizing a conference site, just let us know by return email.



American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

120 Wall Street, 29th Floor

New York, NY 10005

Fax (212) 363-6237

www.afsp.org