September is Suicide Prevention Month when countries worldwide raise awareness of suicide prevention and mental health. In Gibraltar, the Moorish Castle will be lit green at 8pm on Tuesday 29th August, in recognition of GibSams’ upcoming month-long awareness campaign. 

A statement from GibSams follows below:

Since 2018, Gibraltar’s community has rallied behind GibSams each September to support the charity’s outreach events throughout the month, spread awareness of GibSams listening services and get the community talking about their mental health.

GibSams’ theme for their awareness campaign this year is ‘Break the Silence’. They hope to highlight the importance of opening up and sharing thoughts, feelings and struggles with others. To overcome the stigma and taboos that can sometimes exist when discussing mental health issues, GibSams seeks to encourage open conversations about mental wellbeing in order to mitigate crises and potential suicide. GibSams believes that nothing should be unspeakable and that ‘Breaking the Silence’ can help reduce isolation, promote understanding, and create a supportive environment for individuals dealing with mental health challenges or going through a challenging time. 

To help Gibraltar’s community ‘Break the Silence’, GibSams has designed its detailed ‘Talking Toolkit’ resource, launching next week (more details to follow). The ‘Talking Toolkit’ will provide practical and actionable advice on discussing mental health with others experiencing distress. It also contains guidance on identifying persons who may need support and how to actively listen.

Friday 22nd September marks the last event in GibSams’ September Suicide Prevention Month, ‘Green Friday’. GibSams encourages everyone to wear Green that day to raise awareness of GibSams’ services and to help promote their new ‘Talking Toolkit’ with the very clear message being that “we need to ‘Break the Silence’ - sensitively and respectfully”!

Call GibSams for a free, confidential, non-judgemental chat on 116 123 or live chat online at www.gibsams.gi