what we do
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The Ripple Effect
Shortly after Yellow Ribbon started, communities began to call, and we began to travel, teach and share. From the beginning, 95% of our work was, and still is, responding to requests asking for help. Most of the time, they are in the Postvention time (after suicide loss/es) and they ask ‘what do we do, how and where do we start…our community needs help’.
We started our pilot site in Hawarden, Iowa in October 1995. Three nearby towns along with 17 churches, local schools, mental/ public health agencies, and first responders came together to launch our first Yellow Ribbon® Chapter.
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The Work Continues
Yellow Ribbon continues to respond to requests for help worldwide and continues with Community Readiness Trainings and Suicide Prevention Education events. Be A Link!® training for adults and Ask 4 Help!® training for youth are vital because of:
- Lack of the availability of trained mental health professionals & responders and/or a continued magnitude of an event.
- Trained community members (citizens) help support & provide assistance to local resources.
- Building capacity and providing training will enhance public awareness, strengthen existing efforts and widen safety nets.
Our Services
We provide many services, including:
- Helping school districts develop suicide prevention plans and train staff, parents, and students in basic suicide prevention.
- Building community based programs by teaching the How and Where to begin, using previously unrecognized/unrealized community resources, and involving, engaging and empowering all community members.
- Giving Yellow Ribbon Presentations (to all-school assemblies and small groups – adults and youth) of the Yellow Ribbon story for awareness (how it started) and education (How to Ask for Help!®, and How to Be A Link!® for others). These events are often a kick-off of a launch of programs/projects that are continued and sustained by local collaborative partners with ongoing training and activities. To date, collectively, Yellow Ribbon speakers have spoken to, and trained, over 1,500,000 youth in America.
- Creating and growing Chapters throughout the U.S. and globally, and Program Sites in over 5,000 schools & churches in U.S., & multiple locations in 47 countries. (Public, Private, Tribal and Faith-based).
- Sharing the story of how this program began, from the first kids making 500 yellow ribbon messages, to what people of all ages, from all walks of life, have done and are doing is inspiring and empowering. We have found that so many people want to help, but don’t think they have a place in suicide prevention because they are not professionally trained. We show them how they can effectively be involved in suicide prevention.
Our Mission Is Dedicated To Preventing Suicide
Our Story
In Loving Memory Of Mike Emme
1977-1994
The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program® was founded in 1994 by the parents and friends of a bright, funny, loving teen, Mike Emme, who took his life when he did not know the words to say, or how to let someone know he was in trouble and needed help.