JOIN OUR MOVEMENT Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life! by Dr. Lily Matos DeBlieux, Superintendent, Pendergast Elementary School District & Gina Godbehere, Esq., Attorney and Bureau Chief in the Community Based Prosecution Division of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
Show you care by volunteering at the conference, sharing the information with students you know and encouraging their schools to attend.
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hen you think of our beloved city, Glendale, it is easy to think football, hockey, great restaurants and entertainment and wonderful schools. However, it is shocking to think that in our state, suicide is the second-leading cause of death in those aged 10-34. Did you know in Arizona, we lose a teenager to suicide every 5.5 days, and for every completed suicide, it is estimated that there are over 200 attempts? Additionally, 1 in 5 children will be bullied this school year, and we haven’t even touched upon the challenges of mental health, eating disorders, and substance abuse facing our youth. These are the
GLENDA G LENDALE LE LI LIV VING ING • BIZ!
reasons why the Stand Up, Speak Up, Save a Life conference and movement was started. The impetus for this conference came about when Gina and I, colleagues from the Leadership West Class XXII Program, started looking at reports and data on how 768 Arizona children died last year and that 39 percent of the deaths were preventable. Often cited was the stigma of not being able to ask for help easily, as well as the missed warning signs that seemed to accompany every school tragedy. This was a call to action for us and the communities we serve. We began to plan and host the first Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life conference for 1,400 people at ASU West in January 2017 and following the conference last year, in January 2018, at Grand Canyon University, for 4,000 participants, each school administration was asked to work with students to create a follow-up action plan to be implemented to Speak Up, Stand up and Save a Life. Service projects and clubs were formed and the work continued throughout the school year. Projects ranging from student presentations,
discussions, videos, posters, positive messages, and most of all, caring and concern for their fellow students were prevalent everywhere. After successful conferences for the past two years, more than 380,000 lives have been impacted in positive ways. Our conference is slated for January 22, 2019 at Grand Canyon University and plans are to include more than 5,000 students, staff, families and communities from public, private, and charter schools, as well as youth groups. The program will have many lasting components after the conference including parent and community meetings across the Valley, and partnerships with local organizations to help everyone Speak Up, Stand Up and Save Lives. How can you help? Show you care by volunteering at the conference, sharing the information with students you know, and attending the family resource nights in February. Information and resources can be found on the website at www.speakstandsave. com. Let’s help Glendale build a reputation for caring about its youngest residents and helping them lead happy, healthy and productive lives.
THE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITION • WINTER 2018