Exhibit at Patriot Place raising awareness about mental health and suicide

FOXBORO, Mass — September is Suicide Prevention Month and as it wraps up, an exhibit is opening at Patriot Place to raise awareness about mental health and suicide.

‘Send Silence Packing’, is put on by the group ‘Active Minds’. In partnership with the New England Patriots Foundation and KyleCares, the exhibit tells the stories of young lives lost to suicide to encourage youth and young adults to foster open conversations about their mental health, share suicide prevention resources, and decrease stigma around mental health challenges.

One hundred backpacks lined Patriot Place. Each with a story of young people who lost to suicide. Jessica Mayorga explains why their agency, Active Minds, believes this exhibit helps young people.

“That really humanizes the issue of mental health. Helps people make that connection,” explained Mayorga.

Jim Johnson lost his son, Kyle, to suicide. His family created KyleCares to help generate funding for more resources for young people.

Johnson says Active Minds has been successful with local chapters inside schools and colleges and letting young people run those chapters.

“I think society overall is making a lot of progress and people are talking more openly about mental which is one of our goals,” said Johnson.

The goal is to encourage young people to see the stories and to talk about what they are thinking and connect everyone to suicide prevention resources if needed.

The group says it’s really about removing the stigma around mental health challenges.

Thousands are expected to see the exhibit where there will also be mental health resources and counselors to answer questions and get a conversation started. Patriots Foundation President, Josh Kraft, spoke at the exhibit. The Patriots organization is hoping their support helps generate more engagement.

Donna Spigarolo is the Director of Community Relations. “Getting the word out there that it is okay to not be okay and to reach out and seek help,” said Spigarolo. “

Sometimes the individual who takes their life might be the most popular kid in school, might be a star athlete, you just never know because people are often suffering in silence and that is what we want to change,” said Mayorga.

Active Minds and KyleCares say this exhibit helps begin the discussion. “

You see conversations starting. You also see people with a lot of emotions as they read the stories on the hundred backpacks that travel with us,” said Mayorga.

“We saw how powerful mental illness can be and how the grip it can have on someone who is trying to overcome it especially a teenager,” said Johnson.

The exhibit also visits schools and colleges.

“For so long I think people have associated mental health challenges with weaknesses or some for cultural reasons, felt like it was something they could not talk about. Something that wasn’t supported. Something that was received negatively when you didn’t talk about it so that has created fear, that has created barriers,” said Jessica Mayorga one of the organizers.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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