By: Ryan Duey
The Send Silence Packing Exhibit, which debuted at the National Mall in Washington D.C. in 2008, will make its first stop in Kansas on Thursday, April 3rd, and Friday, April 4th in Republic County. Send Silence Packing is a suicide prevention and awareness exhibit that has been visited by more than a million people throughout the country.
Jessica Tebow, Coalition Director, said this come-and-go outdoor exhibit takes about a half hour to go through. She provided some details on this exhibit.
“It’s an outdoor exhibit of about 100 backpacks from the perspective of those who’ve lost loved ones to suicide, primarily students and young adults.”
“The wonderful thing about this is there is a process that you work through where you go to a resource hub, and you can learn about how to speak to each other in a crisis. Also at the end, there’s a wall of hope, where you can write words of hope and encouragement that will be seen throughout the country.”
The exhibit will be set up at the Pike Valley High School Football Field in Scandia on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Friday people can see the exhibit at the Commercial Building on the Fairgrounds in Belleville from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tebow said that with the recent string of suicides in the region, she’s hoping this exhibit will help break the stigma and get people talking.
“We felt the need to bring an event to North Central Kansas because we realized we needed to open a conversation regarding mental health.”
“There’s still a stigma surrounding mental health and certainly around suicide, and our number one goal is to end that stigma, and we know that.”
“We are not going to address this problem, and we are not going to help each other out as a community until we start talking about it. All of us are not okay sometimes and we need to reach out and ask for help when we need it.”
Local businesses have graciously donated snacks for people to enjoy while they walk through the exhibit. Tebow said on April 21st the Coalition will provide Suicide Prevention Training for the community as a follow-up to this exhibit.
For more information on this impactful exhibit visit the Republic County Health Department Facebook page.
