WACO, Texas –Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12, Cedar Crest Residential Treatment Center, and Methodist Children’s Home will present the 13th Annual Teen Suicide Prevention Symposium Monday, June 18, to promote awareness regarding what is considered “the preventable epidemic” among American youth.
The symposium will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, June 18 at ESC Region 12, 2101 W. Loop 340 in Waco. More than 60 participants from schools and other organizations are registered for the event.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, an average of one person dies by suicide every 13.7 minutes in the U.S with more than 120 people dying by suicide each day. For more than a decade, the Suicide Prevention Symposium has provided training for educators and community members on issues relative to teen suicide. Speakers at this year’s event include Laura Gold, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Curtis Clay, former Dallas Cowboy and school safety expert, and Maurine Molak, the mother of David Molak, for whom SB 179 or “David’s Law” was named.
Jenipher Janek, ESC Region 12 Counseling Specialist and Crisis Response Team Leader, said social media continues to be a factor in teen suicide, but efforts to raise awareness about healthy practices and reporting options are making a difference in Central Texas schools. “Our kids are utilizing technology in some amazing and very innovative ways and we can help them. It’s our job to make sure that they learn safe practices as they grow up in a digital world.”
The Suicide Prevention Symposium unites educators and community members in a forum to take action and help save the lives of challenged youth through awareness, intervention and prevention.
In addition to the speakers throughout the Symposium, there will also be a panel of mental health providers who can share information about their organizations and entities, and help bridge the gap between education and service providers. “So many of our schools are struggling to find and make connections with resources in the community,” Janek says. “If we can provide a collaborative place for making that less difficult for them, we’d really like to do that. Our kids are depending on us.”
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About ESC Region 12
Education Service Center Region 12 focuses on helping schools save money and leverage resources into the classroom. One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, ESC Region 12 offers training and expert assistance to educators and school personnel in order to increase student achievement. ESC Region 12 offers effective, economical programs and services through professional development, expert assistance, direct services and alternative educator certification.
Based in Waco, ESC Region 12 serves 77 school districts, 12 charters and private/parochial schools in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Mills and Navarro counties. Everything the center offers focuses on helping educators be successful and helping schools save money and leverage resources—driving more money to students in the classroom—where it matters most.