The moment many of you have been waiting for is here! After receiving nineteen entries from small Seabee Units, Naval hospitals and clinics, Navy Operations Support Centers, CSADD Chapters and even aircraft carriers, the winners of the 2012 Suicide Prevention Public Service Announcement Contest have been chosen! With so many quality entries, it was hard to select just a single “best.” The three winning submissions are…
There is Hope – The team from the USS Ronald Reagan Media Department (CVN 76) did an outstanding job of addressing the many risk factors for suicide, illustrating that it’s never the result of a single event or factor. Relationship and/or financial problems, stress, anxiety, and uncertainty are all potential risk factors for suicidal behavior, particularly when combined with feelings of hopelessness. The video highlights these stressors while ending in a positive light by emphasizing that helping someone to realize that there is hope can also help them see that Life is Worth Living.
Find Your Light – Leave it to CSADD to depict such a strong message with extraordinary creativity! The Save Our Sailors Chapter of the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions Naval Medical Center San Diego again highlighted the negative perceptions that contribute to suicidal thoughts, as well as other risk factors like alcohol abuse. Illustrating the message “It’s Okay to Speak up When You’re Down,” when a Shipmate took the time to ACT, the distressed Sailors saw that their lives and stressors mattered to someone. Furthermore, the Sailors realized that someone cared enough to help them get assistance to address these issues so that they could again believe that Life is Worth Living.
Don’t Weight! It’s Okay to Speak Up When You’re Down. – This entry was filmed entirely with a Smartphone! The Navy Operational Support Center San Antonio team has a great grasp on the weight that life’s challenges can have on us, and how our responsibilities may keep us from believing that we can speak up when we’re down. The video interweaves suicide prevention resources, a visual definition of ACT, while again reinforcing that Sailors take care of Sailors.
Winners are now available for viewing by clicking the above links. They will also air on Direct to Sailor television aboard Navy ships, reaching a potential Navy and Marine Corps audience of over 145,000 daily, and will be provided to the American Forces Network and Pentagon Channel.
Bravo Zulu to all entrants! Each submission showed an immense amount of thought, time, energy and effort in promoting lives worth living among fellow Sailors. Share the winning PSA’s with your command, family and friends!
For official announcement of contest winners, visit navy.mil
For more information on the Suicide Prevention Public Service Announcement Contest, reference NAVADMIN 218/12.
For more information on Navy Suicide Prevention visit www.suicide.navy.mil
For confidential 24/7 help call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK, option 1.