Suicide has been the second-leading cause of death for young Hoosiers between the ages of 15 and 24 since 2009. According to the 2017 KIDS COUNT® in Indiana Data Book, one in five Indiana high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide, and one in six have made a plan for attempting suicide. Working with youth who may be considering suicide can be difficult. In order to help, it is important to recognize the warning signs or signals of suicidal intentions.

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The Indiana Youth Institute, Caring Communities of Gibson County and Youth First, Inc. are hosting a special training sessions where participants will learn about the QPR–Question, Persuade, Refer –suicide prevention model. Like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. The workshop is on Wednesday, January 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Gibson Center at Vincennes University, 8100 US 41 in Fort Branch.

Laura Keys, director of social work at Youth First will empower participants with information and education about how to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know. This training will help attendees learn the facts about suicide, identify warning signs of someone in crisis and provide tips on how to intervene. Participants will receive a QPR training certificate at the end of the training session.

As part of IYI’s Youth Worker Café program, the seminar and lunch are free, but reservations are required. Attendees may RSVP by going to iyi.org/calendar. Please contact IYI Statewide Outreach Manager Debbie Jones at djones@iyi.org for registration issues. For more information about the event, attendees may contact IYI Southwest Senior Outreach Manager Joe Shrode at jshrode@iyi.org.

This event is funded in part by Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana. Youth Worker Cafés are designed to bring together local youth workers to build relationships and inspire collaborations that will benefit children. If Gibson Southern School Corporation is closed due to weather, this event will be rescheduled to a later date.

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