Become a Certified Yellow Ribbon Trainer

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It is not uncommon for teens to think about suicide.  Every year 1 in 5 teens seriously considers suicide and youth will most often seek help from their peers.  It is imperative that youth are provided the tools to recognize other youth who may be at risk for suicide and the knowledge of how to respond if they are concerned.  Studies have shown that youth peer training is an effective practice for education for youth.  Designated a National Best Practice program, Yellow Ribbon utilizes a unique community-based model that increases the competence and confidence of youth to recognize and respond to suicidal individuals.  Modified to be age and culturally appropriate, the curriculum follows the recognized safe messaging prevention practices.

• Increased knowledge of warning signs, risk and protective factors of suicide
• Increased understanding of help-seeking behavior; how to ask for help for themselves and others
• Increased knowledge of resources and crisis contact (locally and nationally) using the simple lifeskill and tool – the Ask 4 Help!® Wallet card – with the step-by-step guide to ask for help and call or text 988
• How to respond to a friend, a cry for help.
• Increased empowerment of their own abilities by knowing the development of the Program and that youth can know how to, and do, make a difference.

Anyone in an organization can potentially be trained in what is known as “suicide prevention gatekeeper training.” (National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention 2012). Suicide Prevention Trainings are a key step in preparation and readiness for individuals and communities in both prevention and postvention.

Yellow Ribbon’s Be A Link!® Community Gatekeeper Training is a community friendly, peer-based, non-clinical training.  It teaches simple, effective tools of help between those in need and help resources.  It emphasizes the important role parents, school personnel and other trusted adults can play in helping at-risk young people.  This core model is appropriate for any adults, professional and non-professional.  Yellow Ribbon has feedback that shows that trusted adults such as school bus drivers, coaches, custodians and scout leaders have been instrumental in helping save lives after receiving the training.

• Increased knowledge of Warning Signs, Risk and Protective Factors
• Increased knowledge of help resources and how to access them
• Increased knowledge of liabilities, policies and procedures for schools
• Increased knowledge of how to talk to their own teens about suicide/suicide prevention
• Learn how to respond to a Cry for help
• Learn how to Start the Conversation of help
• Readiness – crisis protocols applicable for your school/site and in your community

Some elementary teachers, when learning of a suicidal death of a former student have asked “what could I have done, what should I have known, what could I have seen with this child in my class to have helped prevent this tragedy?”  This curriculum is part of the answer to these questions, as it develops the skills necessary to protect children if they become suicidal at some point in their life.

Yellow Ribbon’s Elementary Ask 4 Help® curriculum specializes in the ongoing development and reinforcement of the following protective factors in children and youth. Many of these protective factors will look very familiar, as they are synonymous with or identical to, student outcomes and support systems listed in 21st Century Skills. (21stcenturyskills.org).  This curriculum follows the recognized safe messaging prevention practices.

To support the fidelity of this training program, follow the training sequence.

1. Training for Educators and School staff.  (3 hour workshop, Parents can be invited)
   Section 1: Be A Link!®-E  Gatekeeper Training.  Appropriate for all school staff.
   Section 2: How to use the curriculum.
2. Parent and Community seminars. (Optional)
3. Student Training(s) Held throughout the school year (Follow-up session or homework as desired).  It is at the discretion of the school to allow parents to attend student sessions.  (Encouraged by Yellow Ribbon)
4. Evaluation