Walk against suicide

World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 will see thousands across the country raise suicide awareness.

World Suicide Prevention Day in 2011 will see thousands of Australians gather in locations across the country to participate in Lifeline’s Out of the Shadows campaign.

At dawn on Saturday September 10 Lifeline is holding inaugural annual national suicide prevention walks, calling on people from all communities to help spread the word that suicide can be prevented and that help is only a phone call away.

Lifeline’s National Patron, John Brogden, is the Ambassador for Out of the Shadows in 2011.

“Out of the Shadows symbolises the emergence of suicide from a taboo topic, out of the shadows into the light,” said Brogden.

“Out of the Shadows is so important because we believe it will help to raise awareness of suicide prevention and encourage help-seeking. That’s why we hope that many different people from many different communities participate or hold their own event,”

“This is all part of our campaign to get the community talking about suicide, learning about suicide prevention and connecting with each other to save lives. If you remember only one thing after reading this today, please let it be this: most suicides are preventable, and you can do something about it.”

For details on walk locations or how to organise your own walk visit www.outoftheshadows.org.au

If you or someone you know is experiencing a personal crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Any calls made to this number from a mobile phone in Australia are free of charge, even if you don’t have any credit on your phone.