SGA holds peace walk for suicide awareness

Students participated in a suicide peace walk organized by Troy SGA in honor of September being Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. The walk encouraged students across campus to participate and help spread awareness for a good cause.  

The goal of the walk was to change some of the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health. 

Kathryn Clark photo

Students participate in the Peace walk around campus with their signs.

 The event was organized by Lydia Reno, a junior and special education major from Gulf Shores, Alabama. She is also the chairwoman of student services for SGA.  

She thought this was an important subject to cover since suicide can be a very sensitive topic for some people. 

“This is just the start of our Troy suicide prevention week,” Reno said. “We want to honor those who have struggled with suicide and encourage those who are struggling to reach out for help.”  

The event started with students gathering to make signs of encouragement to carry throughout the walk. These signs displayed kind words like “you matter” and “your story isn’t over.” 

The route for the peace walk started at Rushing Hall and went up and around the quad. The students participating encountered many other students around campus and were able to help and encourage them along the way.  

“I feel like suicide is one of the top struggles with people our age, and many people are just scared to talk about it,” said Reese Barker, a sophomore member of the SGA Student Services committee from Daphne, Alabama.  

She said she felt it was important to make people feel comfortable talking about what is such a tough subject.  

Reese also mentioned a new Trojan app called Timely Care. This app offers online counseling services to students.  

She recommended anyone who is struggling should try out this app.  

“Many people don’t talk about what they face on a day-to-day basis, and I think it’s important to spread awareness so people have an outlet to go to if they need it,” said Taylor Thomas, a freshman elementary education major from Troy, Alabama. 

This walk was only the beginning though. Throughout this week, SGA had tables set up in the Trojan Center for students to learn more about suicide prevention along with other mental health issues that many struggle with.