Provisional Announcement the People’s Conference: suicide prevention at grassroots

Two dates in 2014: November 25, Wintec Atrium, Wintec, Hamilton; and November 27 in Christchurch (venue to be announced).

This event will provide a great opportunity for community-based and private/public organisations to become involved in the communities that they serve.

Following the successful “suicide prevention at grassroots” workshops with Professor Hatim Omar since 2010, the 2014 workshops will be a national event called the People’s Conference.

This event is an alternative to conventional conferences where presenters discuss their work but fail to answer the question from communities/public: ‘what’s in it for us’?

This conference provides a holistic approach to suicide prevention which answers this question by providing tangible and real life examples of exactly what’s in it for the communities and how they can get it.

The People’s Conference is supported by the Chief Coroner Judge MacLean, Key to Life Trust, WhitI Te Ra Hou Trust, the Collaborative (Christchurch), He Waka Tapu (Christchurch), and local communities and DHBs throughout Waikato.

The conference programme is still being developed but provisionally includes the following sessions:

• MC – Mike King
• Depoliticising suicide prevention (Said, Judge MacLean, Mike King)
• Presentations by adolescent specialists (Prof. Omar and Dr Sue Bagshaw)
• Examples of community and grassroots suicide prevention initiatives
• Humanising suicide: putting faces to the suicide statistics – suicide survivors (parents) panel
• Humanising suicide: putting faces to the suicide statistics – discussion panel of young people
• An example of how creative art can be used as a grassroots suicide prevention initiative (Green Fire)

The aim of the People’s conference is to provide attendees with appropriate information and examples of working grassroots initiatives. This approach will then empower communities to mobilise and translate the knowledge gained from the conference into appropriate community initiatives in order to prevent suicide.

Who should attend: The people’s conference is open to all, anyone with an interest in suicide intervention/prevention, frontline health and social workers, the public, politicians and policy makers, media, and anyone who is interested in making a difference in their communities, workplace or organisation.

For expression of interest and registration email Said at radisolevoo@gmail.com.