According to a study done in 2004, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death for all ages and accounts for 1.4% of all deaths in the US. If that number seems small, consider this: 1.4% of the population is more than 32,000 suicides, which is equivalent to 89 suicides per day, one suicide every 16 minutes.

Not only that but a more up-to-date study was done in February 2007. According to statistics given by AFSP, suicide has taken 300,000 American lives in the past ten years and is the FOURTH leading cause of death among adults aged 18-65 and the THIRD leading cause of death among youth aged 15-24.

It puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

But what’s the point of all of this?

In order to shed light on a situation that the media has completely ignored, I, Therese Bailey, have created this group, called The Awakening Project, in which teenagers take initiative to stop suicide by letting the world know that suicide IS a problem, by directing troubled teenagers to reliable resources, and more importantly, reminding them that NO MAN IS AN ISLAND.

On the side, talented young adults can create short films which will be presented at an annual film festival* hosted at a venue in the Jersey City area. There is currently an application being written up for a grant of $1,000 from Youth Venture. However, this can not be completed without a group of committed young adults (ages 12-20) to support the cause. Please join! Every member’s involvement is highly appreciated.

The Awakening Project: Opening the eyes of America to the Suicide Problem

NOTE: You don’t have to be 12-20 or living in Jersey City to join! Your support is greatly appreciated!

* The films themselves may not be suicide-related, but they are created strictly for the purpose of being shown at this festival. ALL profits made at this film festival will be donated to various suicide prevention organizations, including The Rita Project, SPAN USA, and the AFSP.