COLORADO SPRINGS – It’s something Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman calls a public health crisis: suicide.
The attorney general’s office recently released a study to address youth suicide trends across Colorado and Focus on the Family has also launched a new program to end this epidemic.
The new program/website is called Alive To Thrive and it’s aimed to help any adult be better equipped to prevent youth suicides.
Danny Huerta said, “It tears me up inside to know that somebody thought that was the answer to the issues in their life.”
As a licensed clinical social worker and the vice president of parenting and youth at Focus on the Family, Huerta is no stranger to the suicide crisis in Colorado. Over the last several years he’s worked with students and families who’ve been touched by it.
“They didn’t have that one stop sign in their life to not do that.”
The goal of Alive To Thrive is to create those stop signs in the form of parents, teachers, anyone who has an influence in the lives of youth.
“We want to see adults enter conversations intentionally and confidently with the youth around them.”
Huerta said the program also aims to help adults know how to better respond to the issues they see in young people: depression, feeling like a failure, and other factors that can lead to suicide.
“We don’t like to talk about it, but it’s so necessary to talk about the pain.”
He said the conversation can’t just happen on the phone or via social media, but face to face. So to get started, visit Alive To Thrive.
“It has two options: either you’re in a crisis or you want to go towards the prevention route.”
After that, dive into the information provided that could one day help you save a life.
If you or someone you know needs help please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
CLICK HERE for more information on Alive To Thrive.
CLICK HERE to access the full report from the Colorado Attorney General.
