Students who walk through the halls at Kirkwood Community College may notice green bandanas tied on backpacks and purses. These bandanas signal to others that the wearer is a trusted person who is available to listen and can provide resources on mental health and suicide prevention.
The Green Bandana Project is a national program that helps raise awareness and connects students to mental health and suicide prevention resources.
All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the training, which happens a few times each year. The next opportunity will be Wednesday, March 5, from 11:15 a.m. -12:10 p.m. in 2014 Iowa Hall.
Kirkwood Counselor Angie Ziesman-Weiler and and Jaylynn Wyckoff, a communications major, shared their experiences both leading and participating in the Green Bandana Project.
Ziesman-Weiler explained how the program started at Kirkwood. “It was the fall of 2018, and the Phi Theta Kappa club approached us after our 1,100-flag suicide prevention event. They wanted to collaborate on a project. We then had Foundation 2 come in with trained facilitators to teach us. After that, the counselors took over,” she said.
The training process follows a step-by-step format. “The program is a three-step system: How do we recognize signs and symptoms? How do we respond effectively? How do we respond in a helpful way? We then teach them how to connect that person to support and resources,” said Ziesman-Weiler.
Mental health is a widely recognized focus in schools due to its impact on student well-being and academic success. However, Wyckoff said she believes more attention should be focused on suicide prevention. She said, “I feel like it is not advertised at school enough, the suicide number is nowhere.”
Ziesman-Weiler said the program has a great message and is a major step in preventing suicides. “We need to educate students, faculty and staff on how to respond effectively and recognize signs and symptoms,” she said.
Ziesman-Weiler said it is important to keep the project going because she saw a recent article stating suicide was down in Iowa but not for teens. “Suicides are happening. We need to be talking about it. We need to find ways to prevent it. It is the second leading cause of death among college students,” she said.
She added, “I really encourage people to get educated. Talk about it. We have to work on our own mental health to help other people’s mental health.”
Categories: News, Student Life Update
