National Suicide Prevention Week

Over the next several days, Nuçi’s Space will be observing National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW). NSPW is an annual campaign recognized in the United States to educate and inform the general public about suicide prevention and rising suicide rates. NSPW also aims to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and encourage the pursuit of mental health assistance.

Today we are honoring NSPW by reflecting on our own beginnings here at Nuçi’s Space. In this video (made by our friend Jason Thrasher), our founder Linda Phillips explains why she created Nuçi’s Space and further articulates her mission to end the epidemic of suicide. Stay tuned for more - we will be sharing stories and educational materials through the rest of NSPW.

You can directly help us in our efforts to reduce the stigma of Brain Illness while fostering a world that understands and supports those suffering. We invite you to learn alongside us, to help us share our mission online or in-person, and to participate in our National Suicide Prevention Week Fundraiser - https://www.facebook.com/donate/1671174213366484/

This fundraiser will run through the month of September - each and every dollar goes towards our mission of suicide prevention.

If you are contemplating suicide or seeking help for a friend, you are not alone. Suicidal ideation can be overwhelming - we are here to help.We will assist you in gaining access to the care you need.

*Please note that Nuçi’s Space is not a suicide hotline or crisis center. If you are in danger of immediate self-harm, please call 911. Additional crisis intervention resources are listed at nuci.org/crisis

Former Camp Amped Participant and Amplify Studio summer intern Jack DeWolf shares his story for National Suicide Prevention Week.

“On September 15th, 2020, I attempted to take my own life. During the height of the covid pandemic, I had major spine surgery in May of that year and started my freshman year of high school in August. My physical health was declining as well and I started to spiral down fast. I was self harming almost 5-6 times a day, I didn’t have any friends that cared about me, and felt like I didn’t belong. I was hospitalized for a week and recovered at home a second week. When I returned to school, none of my classmates had noticed I was even gone. None of the teachers or staff asked me where I had been or how I was doing. For the rest of my freshmen year and all of my sophomore year, I was constantly bullied and harassed at school and constantly experiencing a toxic environment.

I now make music to express my feelings and to cope with my pain. When I first started, I didn’t know anything about anything but I didn’t stop. The music was an added thing for my abusers to bully me about during my underclassmen years. I didn’t care about how it sounded or what other people thought, I just wanted to express how I was feeling the only way I know how. So many people that say they support me now used to make fun of my most vulnerable songs. Little did I know in two years, I would come back to my old high school's homecoming game to a packed out student section screaming and chanting my name in support of me. 

If you feel like you're worthless or don't belong, I felt the same way once too. Now I'm doing what I love everyday and living a healthy and happy life. I hope my story and my music can inspire you and others who are dealing with mental health issues. We all deserve to be here. Keep going and keep fighting. You may not know it, but hundreds of others are right there with you.”

Check out Jack’s Music here- https://linktr.ee/Jackdewolf

1999 through 2019, age-adjusted suicide rates have increased 35%. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db398.htm#:~:text=This%20report%20highlights%20trends%20in,than%20the%20rate%20in%202018 

Overall, the number of deaths by suicide rose 2.6% from 2021 to 2022, but decreased among American Indian/Alaska Native people and Youth. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html

2 out of 3 adults believe they don't know enough about suicide, but 8 out of 10 are open to learning how they can do more to help. https://suicidepreventionnow.org/

Over 1/2 of adults in the U.S. say seeing a mental health professional is a sign of strength. https://suicidepreventionnow.org/

New crisis line, 988, was launched July 2022 to meet the need for accessible crisis care. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/988-timeline.pdf

We know how challenging taking the first step to getting help can be, so we’ve broken it down into 3 easy steps for you:
Email, call or visit Nuçi’s Space and say “I’m interested in speaking to someone about your counseling program.” 


You'll schedule a meeting with one of our Wellness Advocates. Together you'll determine the path of care that is best for you. You’ll be connected to the resources you need to get additional help that is right for you. 

With the support of our generous donors and healthcare providers, we may be able to subsidize the cost of care if you are an uninsured musician when we refer you to a therapist or a psychiatrist. If you’re not a musician, we will refer you to a reduced-cost or sliding scale provider. Don’t let cost get in the way - that’s what we’re here for. You deserve the help you need.

Thank you to the Sam Holt Band, who raised an impressive $4,000 for the Nuçi’s Space Pre-Amped: Michael Houser Music Education Program through the sale of posters and t-shirts (designed by talented JT Lucchessi of Home Team Graphics). 

So what is The Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program and why is it relevant to talk about during National Suicide Prevention Week?
- The goal of the The Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program is to introduce musical instruments and high quality instruction to elementary school students who otherwise may not have access to individualized music education. 
- This program serves our mission of suicide prevention by nurturing the emotional and musical development of young kids at the very beginning of their creative journey. 
- By going into the schools and making face to face contact with the students, parents, and teachers directly, we are able to ensure that more of the young people struggling with mental health know that Nuçi’s Space is there for them. 
- Pre-Amped is provided for free to 4th and 5th grade elementary school students who show an interest and passion for music - it is currently offered at Gaines, Alps Road, Howard B. Stroud, Fowler Drive and J.J. Harris Elementary Schools,
The Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program serves to honor the memory and legacy of the founding Widespread Panic guitarist, who was a supporter of Nuçi’s Space before his untimely death in 2002.

"We are honored to be able to support the incredible work that Nuçi’s Space does, and we are grateful to our fans for helping us raise funds and awareness for the Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program," said Sam Holt, the band's lead guitarist and vocalist.

“I lost my partner to suicide in spring 2022, and I try to talk about it. It’s hard. Not every setting is appropriate, and not everyone wants to confront such a difficult subject. But talking about suicide makes it easier to talk about suicide. It’s never easy, but it gets easier. QPR is an extremely valuable resource because it helps get over that initial hurdle. Just saying the word “suicide” at all can be difficult, and QPR helps give participants the training to start a conversation and keep the conversation going. 

I think QPR would be especially valuable for people that haven’t had personal experience with suicide. I can use my personal experience to relate to people that might be considering suicide, but any QPR participant can use the knowledge from the course to talk more openly about what suicide looks like in our society. They can talk about how a person might belong to groups that are more vulnerable to suicidal ideation, and, in doing so, help someone feel like they’re not alone. And QPR participants have the training to refer people to the help that they need in whatever form they’re willing to accept. 

There is immense value in having training to fall back on. Every situation is different, and every situation is difficult. There is no way to prepare for everything, but having preparation is always better. That’s why QPR is important to me: I want to be prepared to help someone, and I would encourage others to be prepared as well. You never know when someone you care about might need it.” -  

Zebulon Brookshire

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. This free training is provided in a 2-hour format and includes didactic instruction, role-play exercises, and time for questions. Take the first step in saving lives by signing up for QPR Training today.

If you’ve passed our building recently, you may have noticed that it got an upgrade.
Thanks to the help of the Turner Family Foundation, Nuçi’s Space was able to commission local business Daughters of Paint to show some love to our exterior. We sat down with Daughters of Paint founder, Eson Atkinson, to hear more about the paint crew and get her thoughts on the color itself:

“Color is actually way more important to your space than people know or realize. The blue on the Nuçi’s Space building…it’s vibrant now. It’s revived. Blue is so affiliated with the phrase ‘feeling blue’ or ‘got the blues’, and that’s what Nuçi’s Space specializes in. That’s what you help people with. So…walking up to this building with that in mind, feeling blue, but then seeing that it’s really beautiful and vibrant….I like that metaphor.”

The name of this color blue, “Salty Dog”, is nautical slang for an experienced sailor who has spent much of their life aboard a ship at sea. As an organization that has fought for over 20 years to prevent suicide and to alleviate the suffering of those living with brain illness, this color feels true to who we are and what we stand for. If you’re someone feeling blue, know that you’re not alone and that we’re here to help you along your journey.

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