Forty. Twenty-four. Two hundred and eight. Three hundred and nine. Every forty seconds, someone in the world commits suicide. Of all Canadian deaths among 15-24 year olds, suicide accounts for 24% of them. In 2008, two hundred and eight Canadians aged 15-19 took their own lives. This past September, the three hundred and nine students that attend Glencoe District High School in the rural town of Glencoe, Ontario were educated on the issue of suicide by the school's Social Justice League, a committee of youth dedicated to raising awareness of problems affecting not only teenagers, but the world.

The Gaels Raising Awareness About Suicide Prevention (GRAASP) campaign consisted of informative, thought-provoking videos being played on the morning announcements to raise overall awareness, posters outlining preventative measures being
displayed throughout the school, as well as a Blue Day to conclude the campaign, on which over one third of the student body dressed in blue to signify that they were confident in knowing how to handle the situation and who to talk to if they themselves needed help, or knew someone else in need of support. In addition, the GRAASP campaign was highly successful in drawing attention to the falsehood of many widespread myths about suicide, such as the common belief amongst youth that there is no way to help someone experiencing suicidal thoughts. Members of the Social Justice League personally reached out to their peers by holding suicide prevention seminars for those in the ninth grade, as well as by appearing on the morning announcements to urge students not to be afraid or feel embarrassed to seek out help for themselves or for loved ones, as it is this very assistance that can make all of the difference in the world?the difference of life.

The Social Justice League will continue to draw attention to prevalent social issues throughout the school year, with an upcoming campaign focusing not only on the negative effects of bullying, but primarily on the positive effects of being an upstander.

-Written by Ashley B.