Talking Saves Lives

Whole campuses turned yellow this September. Working with Centro de Integración Juvenil, the Psychology Department ran a programme on every campus built around three ideas: resilience, support networks and suicide prevention.

Much of it happened in classrooms. Students practised active listening and emotional validation — what to say when a friend is struggling, and why saying nothing is the harder choice. The staff shirts put it plainly: hablar salva vidas, talking saves lives.

Then they wrote to one another. Messages of encouragement went onto paper hands and filled a window from edge to edge under the heading Prevención del Suicidio — no estás solo, tu vida importa, nunca te rindas — every one of them in a classmate’s handwriting.

Then the campuses gathered. Students stood together holding yellow cards above their heads, on courts and in courtyards, in one case forming a single yellow ribbon seen from the roof.

The purpose of the month was to make the subject ordinary enough to raise. Breaking the stigma around mental health is the first step towards looking after ourselves and one another, and the school remains committed to an environment where every student feels heard, valued and supported.

If you or your family need support

The Psychology Department at any campus is the place to start. Outside school hours, Línea de la Vida offers free and confidential support, 24 hours a day, on 800 911 2000.