Preventing Youth Suicide: Expanding a Collaborative Approach

Youth suicide is a global crisis that demands a coordinated response.

Through the Preventing Youth Suicide (PYS) initiative, Speak Our Minds is partnering with the Children’s Hospital Association, children’s hospitals and health leaders to expand evidence-based suicide prevention practices and strengthen systems of care. What began as a national collaborative is now expanding its reach, bringing together leaders and communities around a shared goal: ensuring every child has access to timely, effective suicide prevention support.

Speak Our Minds plays a distinct role in this work by ensuring the voices of young people, parents and caregivers help shape the solutions.

From setting priorities and designing programs to evaluating outcomes and advocating for change, people with lived experience are engaged throughout the process. Their expertise sits alongside that of clinicians, children’s hospitals and health system leaders, helping create approaches that are more effective, equitable and responsive to the young people and families they are designed to serve.

As Preventing Youth Suicide expands globally, so does the opportunity to learn from one another, accelerate what works and build stronger systems of support for young people everywhere.

When children’s hospitals, youth and parents come together around the world, urgent action can inspire lasting change.