Suicide awareness exhibit displayed on McNichols Campus
The powerful suicide awareness exhibit Send Silence Packing was displayed in Sacred Heart Square on Detroit Mercy's McNichols Campus Sept. 16. The exhibit was first displayed in 2008 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and has since toured the country, stopping at mostly college campuses.
Hundreds of backpacks – many donated by families who have lost a loved one to suicide – were displayed at Detroit Mercy’s campus. Each included personal stories of a person who took his or her own life and the impact that act had on their loved ones. People were invited to walk among the backpacks and see the photographs and read the stories attached to them.
The exhibit is designed to raise awareness of suicide among college students during September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month, and connect people to mental health resources and inspire action for suicide prevention.
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting mental health promotion and education for students. It was founded in 2003 by a student at the University of Pennsylvania after her losing her only sibling to suicide.
The Send Silence Packing exhibit was sponsored by Detroit Mercy’s chapter of Active Minds, the Dean of Students Office and the University Wellness Center.
