TV star Josie Gibson sits down with IFCF and CALM in video to tackle youth suicide
TV favourite, Josie Gibson, is no stranger to sitting down with famous names for the latest story, but now she’s tackling her biggest challenge yet – helping to start the conversation around youth suicide with the public in an effort to combat it.
Last week, Josie was joined by bosses from Iceland Foods, including Executive Chairman and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) Chairman, Richard Walker and Group Chief Executive of Iceland and Trustee of IFCF, Tarsem Dhaliwal. CALM CEO, Simon Gunning and Director of Services, Wendy Robinson, also joined the discussion ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th September.
New research from CALM revealed suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 in the UK, with two fifths (39 percent) of people aged between 18-34 having experienced a mental health crisis, or suicidal thoughts over the past five years.
IFCF has previously pledged £300,000 in funding which could help CALM have over 37,000 life-saving conversations via their helpline – and now the retailer has donated an additional £350,000 and joined forces with CALM for a powerful installation of 6,929 birthday balloons in Westfield White City, marking the missed birthdays of young people lost to suicide over the past decade.
In the video, Josie and the group discuss the alarming rise in preventable deaths among young people, their own concerns and experiences, as well as the steps that can be taken to help prevent suicide.
One of the tools on offer includes the CALM C.A.R.E Kit which has been designed to offer support for a variety of situations, including speaking to a young person whose mental wellbeing is fine to intervening when a young person is in crisis.
The kit will support Iceland stores by educating and empowering people to start life-saving conversations about suicide and mental health through in-store messaging and prompts. It will take the urgent issue of suicide prevention to the British high street, aiming to reach Iceland’s five million weekly customers nationwide.
Tarsem Dhaliwal, Group Chief Executive of Iceland Foods and Trustee of IFCF said: “Suicide amongst young people is a worsening epidemic in the UK and we need to get as many people as possible aware and involved to help combat it, which is what we hope to achieve with the poignant Missed Birthdays installation.
“Josie has been an incredible asset to the team in helping to start lifesaving conversations and spreading awareness far and wide, which we know will make a massive difference.
“We know that suicide can be a difficult and sometimes uncomfortable topic to discuss, but the most effective way to help prevent it is to be proactive and talk to one another. CALM, with the support of Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, is offering trusted adults invaluable support to help start the conversation and we’re glad to be a part of making that possible.”
