EIGHT members of the volunteer group Prevention of Teenage Suicide Guyana (POTS-GUY) have recently concluded a two-week suicide prevention training workshop in New York, United States.They also participated in radio interviews and were able to raise funds for the organisation.
In the near term, POTS-GUY will be resuming their school outreach programme, particularly in Regions Two and Six.
The new campaign is set to be launched in January 2017 and will be targeting East Berbice, Corentyne, Region Six communities.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an intensive, interactive and practice dominated course designed to help persons recognise and review risks and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.
The trainers of this workshop are certified by Living Works INC as accomplished practitioners in suicide prevention, intervention and post intervention.
The New York Office of Mental Health Field Office also hosted a workshop themed safeTALK on November 18, 2016.
In addition to the training and workshop, Director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Mr Draper also arranged for POTS-GUY to visit and conduct a radio interview with NY WPAT, which enabled the organisation to raise approximately US$2000.00.
These workshops have assisted POTS-GUY members and volunteers in becoming more efficient and effective in undertaking their various duties within the organisation as they try to eradicate suicide in Guyana.
Vice President Ruth English-Wilson described the overall experience as “wonderful yet challenging”.
Tour Committee Operations Advisor Ravindra Mohandeo said the training was a “tremendous one”, noting that he gained a lot from the exposure and was truly grateful for the opportunity.
“I was given the opportunity to share some of our stories and experiences from victims we dealt with in the past and also share ways in which we dealt with these cases. In addition, I was also thought new ways on how to deal with these victims, apart from refreshing myself from the knowledge and information that was previously thought to me,” Mohandeo said.
POTS-GUY, a non-governmental, non-profitable organisation, has made lifelong collaborations with various ministries and organisations across Guyana.
In the past, they have had great success in their journey, and through collaborations with these entities, it has received training in suicide prevention awareness, established a suicide prevention hotline and visited over 60 high schools across the country, raising awareness of this issue.
