World Suicide Prevention Day: Connections free film and resources

This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is on Tuesday, 10 September 2024, and we are calling on everyone to #StartTheConversation about suicide.

Connections invited people young and old to write a message of hope for someone who may be finding things difficult.

We understand that it can sometimes be very difficult to have these discussions, so to help with this, we have helped to create some free resources.

Filmed across three days in central London, the Connections film project was the innovative idea of Beth Evans founder of Messages of Hope with support from Thrive LDN and Speakers Collective.

The short film invites people of all ages to write a message of hope for someone who may be finding things difficult.

Connections set out to capture people writing messages of hope for people struggling with their mental health and shines a light on just how connected we truly are.

Free Download, Guides & Colouring Pages for your World Suicide Prevention Event

For World Suicide Prevention Day, we’d like to encourage everyone to use the Connections film and resources as a conversation starter.

We have provided supporting materials to help you do that:

1. Download a Connections Film – Discussion Guide, aimed to support you screen the film with groups and utilise it as a tool to support wider conversations on how we can connect and support each other’s mental health. The group activity will take around 45-60 minutes depending on the depth of discussion.

2. You can download a series of still images taken by photographer Meg Ellis during the making of the film, which can be displayed in a central and accessible space. Alongside the images, you could provide a place for people to write their own messages of hope.

3. We even have Connections colouring pages available for you to download and print to encourage people to take part and interact.

Connections was produced by Messages of Hope and The Speakers Collective to mark Great Mental Health Day. The project was funded by the Mayor of London. The project was commissioned and supported by Thrive LDN.

Further Information & Support

In any talk about suicide prevention, we strongly recommend that signposting is included to support services including Samaritans, SHOUT and the Hub of Hope.

If you’re concerned about your mental health, your GP is always a good place to start. If you feel very distressed and can’t wait, or feel unable to keep yourself safe, there is more immediate help available:

Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – call 116 123.

Shout. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258.

Hub of Hope. There is always hope… find support that’s right for you.

If your life or someone else is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help.