Boy Scouts of America Erie Shores Council adds suicide prevention courses

TOLEDO, Ohio — The local Boy Scouts of America Erie Shores Council has just announced a partnership with state mental health agencies to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

The council is offering classes for both children and adults to complete on suicide awareness and prevention and offers a special patch to its members that complete the courses associated with the partnership.

"We’ve already have had 100 adults take advantage of the training,” said Ed Caldwell, scout executive and CEO of the Erie Shores Council. "It's just another step in keeping our kids safe and making the adults aware.”

Caldwell's organization began teaching about suicide years ago after a parent had a concerning interaction at one of their camps.

"About three years ago a mom overhead two kids talking in a tent," Caldwell said. "They were talking just about their feelings with each other in the tent and the conversation kind of put a mom in an uneasy position."

The local troop is the first in the state to begin an official partnership based on suicide prevention and provide patches to the members who complete the courses.

"This was an opportunity that we could be able to reach those young people that we can't reach through schools," said Tony Coder Executive Director, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation. “Mental illness is not something we should be hiding in the shadows, understanding it’s [an] issue that needs addressed.”

This increased desire to reach young kids comes after some concerning suicide data.

The 2019 Lucas County Community Health Assessment found 5% increases in suicide consideration and attempts in students in 6th-12th grade.

That number could increase in the 2022 survey, the first one taken after the pandemic.

"We're seeing an alarming increase in the attempts and ideation, and this was before the pandemic," said Scott Sylak, executive director of the Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County. "I think the pandemic has had an impact on everybody's mental wellness, youth certainly."

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can call Zepf Center's Crisis Line at 419-904- 2273, text "4hope" to 741741 or call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.