Boise nonprofits host Colorado professional skier to speak about suicide, mental health awareness
Author: Aspen Shumpert | KTVB
BOISE, Idaho — Three local nonprofits joined forces this week to host events and provide resources aimed at breaking down stigma around mental health and suicide prevention conversations.
"Youth Mental Health Alliance," also known as "You Me We All," "The Speedy Foundation," and "Connection is the Cure," have been working toward breaking down barriers for years.
"We're changing culture here. We're changing the society, and it's happening right now," said Stacy Sericati, co-founder of You Me We All.
She said the nonprofits hope to spark cultural change around mental health topics, creating opportunities for people to feel seen, supported and hopeful.
The organizations brought professional skier and mental health advocate, Drew Peterson, from Colorado to speak to Boise State University and Boise School District high schools throughout the week. Peterson has publicly shared his struggles with mental health that intensified after a mountain accident.
"Struggle is a shared part of the human experience. For every single human being on this planet, we are all going to struggle at some point in our lives," Peterson said. "Equal to that is that strength is a shared part of the human experience."
Thursday evening the groups hosted community screening of Peterson's film "Feel It All" at the Egyptian Theatre. Hundreds of people were the crowd to hear the story.
The 34-minute film follows Peterson as he skis peaks surrounding Colorado's Leadville 100 course and runs the full 100-mile ultramarathon, using that journey to tell his mental health story.
"It's not just about running 100 miles; it's not just about skiing the peaks around the course. It's about being human. And spoiler alert, the film does not end at the finish line, because I believe there is no finish line with mental health, and there certainly isn't for me. And therein lies a lot of the beauty that this is a lifelong journey, and that's where the worthiness of that journey lies," Peterson said.
Peterson said the film took three years to complete and doesn't end at the finish line because "there is no finish line with mental health."
After Thursday's screening, Peterson took questions and answers from the crowd.
Idaho consistently ranks among the top 10 states for suicide rates nationally. The participating organizations say they plan to continue similar outreach efforts beyond September's suicide prevention awareness month.
"We need to make every month like this," Sericati said. "Just talking about it is so important and de-stigmatizing it is really, really important."
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
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