The Greater Littleton Youth Initiative (GLYI) is a large community collaboration that formed after the tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999.

One branch of the GLYI is the Community Suicide Prevention Project (CSPP) formed in 2005 following a request by Littleton Adventist Hospital (LAH) to help address suicide issues in our community. Three to five individuals who have attempted suicide come to LAH’s Emergency Room daily, three of whom are typically young people. The south metro area has the highest rate of attempted suicide within the state of Colorado, and the state of Colorado ranks seventh in the nation for death by suicide.

The State Health Department’s Office of Suicide Prevention recommended two exemplary programs for the Littleton community: The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program and the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training program (ASIST).

The Yellow Ribbon program provides broad, educational/awareness of suicide for students, staff and anyone in the community whereas ASIST provides specific suicidal CPR skills for staff and adults in the community. These two programs complement each other to ensure a net of prevention by providing both education and needed intervention skills.

In January 2005, Littleton Public Schools implemented the Yellow Ribbon and ASIST programs in Heritage High School as a pilot project. The project was so successful that today the CSPP is in Littleton High School and in all alternative schools. Arapahoe High School and two middle schools will be joining the program in the near future. Success is measured by the number of students coming forward to speak to an adult about suicidal thoughts or feelings, a number that each school has seen increase. The CSPP is funded entirely by Littleton Adventist Hospital through a $150,000, three-year grant.

Littleton Public Schools will be holding Community Suicide Prevention Week for the second year in a row from October 29, 2007 through November 2, 2007. Each school participating in the CSPP will host its own activities, such as student trainings in Yellow Ribbon, poster contests, balloon releases, and distribution of pins and bracelets. Banners will be hung around the community in support of this important symbolic week.

For more information about the GLYI or the Community Suicide Prevention Project, please contact Kay Wilmesher at (303) 795-3721 or at kwilmesher@littletongov.org at the City of Littleton.

Prepared by Kay Wilmesher, Business/Industry Affairs, City of Littleton, October 19, 2007