“Send Silence Packing,” a traveling exhibit for suicide awareness, returned to Oberlin this past Thursday after its first visit in April 2011. SSP is one of the longest-running programs at Active Minds Inc., a nonprofit organization that works towards transforming and addressing the dialogue around mental health, with more than 500 student-led chapters and an annual reach of over 1.9 million people. Currently on its 17th year of touring college campuses and communities, the exhibit features four main components: an arrangement of backpacks with real stories of suicide victims and survivors, a Behind the Backpacks station with recorded narratives, a Resource Tent, and a Hope Wall where visitors can write messages of reflection and support.

Director of Student Health Promotion and Prevention Services Tara Woods reflected on what necessitated the return of this exhibit to Oberlin.

“The utilization is high within the counseling center, and I know that students around this age struggle [or have struggled] with suicidal ideation at some point within their lives,” Woods said. “Some students are moving away from home for the first time, and it’s difficult to find ways to cope. I brought [the exhibit] here because of the age of our population and the things that our students are currently experiencing.”

Since SSP’s first visit to Oberlin in 2011, the exhibit has adjusted its presentation of stories. Previously, it was held in the Science Center, where 1,000 backpacks were displayed on the ground. Woods expanded on the problematic aspects of this approach and what has changed for this year’s visit.

“There could be a number of things that are triggering about that,” Woods said. “You don’t want people to feel like they’re walking through a cemetery, so they have eliminated the total amount of backpacks — it’s down to 100, and they’re hanging up where people can see at eye level. This allows people to choose how they want to engage in the exhibit.”

Each backpack featured one story of a victim or survivor of suicide, along with their photograph. The exhibit was divided into two sections of stories — those of loss and of hope — written by family members, friends, or the victims themselves. Some stories of hope were of individuals who survived suicide attempts, and others honored those who passed by starting foundations or by spreading suicide awareness to the broader community. 

“As you read through them, they show the different levels of the cycles of grief they’re going through,” Program Associate Eric Rockwood said. “[They also] show the levels of stigma that may exist in the communities. They’re heavy stories. … It’s a hard thing to talk about, but it needs to be addressed.”

The Lorain County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is another organization that was at the event to share resources for mental health support and education. A community partner, NAMI is currently working to bring student-led clubs to local college campuses. A study published by Lipson et al. in 2022 found that “in the 2020–21 academic year, over 60 percent of students were experiencing at least one clinically-significant mental health problem (based on validated screening tools), a roughly 50 percent increase since 2013.” 

Vivian Snyder, young adult services coordinator at NAMI Lorain County, spoke about the importance of reaching out to youth, especially college-age individuals.

“Even though, culturally, youth are more open to talking about [mental health], there’s still this taboo around it,” Snyder said. “It’s something that affects everybody, and it is disproportionately affecting youth right now. [NAMI’s mission is] about the prevention aspect. We want to make sure people know about these resources before they get … into crisis mode.”

NAMI has partnered with the College to begin facilitating student-led peer support groups. The first will be held next week in Wilder Hall.

“This is a support group specifically for mental health,” Snyder said. “You don’t have to have a diagnosis. This is going to be a safe space where people can talk about their mental health challenges and what they’re going through.”

Bringing the SSP exhibit back was one of Oberlin’s first steps to spreading mental health awareness this semester, and Woods is working on bringing more resources to campus as alternatives and aides to counseling. One of these is the introduction of wellness ambassadors — certified peer educators at the College. This program will be launched March 14 with a meet and greet, as well as time for questions. 

“[Suicide] is preventable, and we want to save as many lives as possible,” Woods said. “I’m looking to send a message to say, let’s normalize this conversation. No one has to struggle alone. We are all here for you.”

Rockwood shared a similar sentiment.

“Within the mental health community and in your own community, asking someone how their day is going [is so important]. These stories are a testament to how that can change someone’s life.”