“When we're feeling healthy and happy, we're able to participate more and connect more with other individuals,” said Callisto Cortez, Copper Shores Outreach & Education youth development specialist. “Connection can make all the difference in someone's life and mental health. Allowing a safe space to talk about how one is feeling is what makes suicide prevention possible.”
Recognizing the power of connection and open dialogue is just the beginning. The next step is ensuring people know where to turn for help. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with local suicide prevention and mental health resource providers and learn more about the different types of support available in the area.
“Remembering a person as a whole, both mentally and physically, is important when it comes to suicide prevention,” said Cortez. “There are a multitude of reasons someone may be struggling with depression and suicidal ideation, like physical health and chronic illness or pain. Suicide prevention efforts can fall short when we don't address physical wellness alongside mental wellness.”
To support this holistic approach, a range of organizations will be present, each offering insights into different aspects of mental health and wellness, ready to provide help, direction and information for those in need. Reimagining mental health through this broad lens also means challenging long-standing perceptions and breaking down the stigma that often prevents people from getting the help they deserve.
“We need to re-frame the way we look at mental health,” said Andrew Kalcich, Mental Health Professional/School Social Worker at Copper Country Intermediate School District. “By treating mental health as an essential part of our overall health, we can begin dismantling the stigma that keeps people from seeking help.”
Ultimately, shifting the conversation around suicide requires not just knowledge of, and access to resources, but also a deeper understanding of what individuals facing these struggles are truly experiencing.
“When people misunderstand suicide, they often think that it’s a selfish thing to do, or wonder how someone could do that to their loved ones,” said Kalcich. “In truth, suicide is normally the final symptom of depression. People who die by suicide are at a point where they honestly believe it will solve all the issues they have going on. In some cases they believe others would be better off if they were not around, in others they may be in so much pain that they feel this is the only way out.”
Kalcich is this year’s keynote speaker. As a life-long yooper, father, clinical social worker and survivor, Kalcich brings a wealth of knowledge to the event and to the Coalition. Kalcich hopes to help break the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health, especially for men.
“I’ve had friends who have died by suicide, and I myself have survived a near attempt on my life,” said Kalcich. “I refused to call the crisis line for fear of looking weak. It took me more than 30 years to figure out that asking for help is not a weakness, it’s a strength. It was the best choice I ever made.”
Learn more about the ninth annual Suicide Prevention Walk by visiting coppershores.org/walk. Receive a notification for other Copper Shores events, sign up for the free monthly email newsletter at coppershores.org/newsletter.