LĪHUʻE (April 17, 2019) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is partnering with community-based organizations to host a series of free suicide prevention trainings called “safeTALK” beginning April 18.
The trainings are in response to Kauaʻi community’s request for help to address an increase in suicides on the island. “Suicide is a such critical issue in our community that we cannot ignore,” said Kaliko Santos, OHA Community Outreach Coordinator. “The safeTALK trainings are intended to not just elevate awareness about the issue but also to provide our community with the necessary tools to combat the problem.”
SafeTALK is an acronym for: Suicide Awareness For Everyone (SAFE), using the four steps: Tell, Ask, Listen and Keepsafe (TALK). SafeTALK is a national prevention program intended to help communities recognize persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them with resources that can help them choose life.
OHA is hosting the trainings through a partnership with Liliʻuokalani Trust – Kīpuka Kauaʻi, Prevent Suicide Kauaʻi, and the Kauaʻi Community Resiliency Project Committee, a collaborative effort between Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Kauaʻi Planning and Action Alliance.
The safeTALK trainings are part of OHA’s I Mana Ka Lāhui series, which are smaller community workshops tailored to meet the unique needs of Native Hawaiians in a specific area. These workshops may focus on increasing participation in Hawaiian culture; increasing educational opportunities about Hawaiian history; providing support for Native Hawaiian civic engagement; or addressing the results of OHA’s Strategic Plan.
“OHA has been collecting data to better understand the mental health needs of our people and advocating for traditional healing techniques as effective measures to address the growing mental health issues in our communities,” said Kamanaʻopono Crabbe, OHA Chief Executive Officer/Ka Pouhana. “The safeTALK series are proven to help empower communities to mālama their most vulenerable members, and OHA thanks our community partners for helping to bring this program to Kauaʻi.”
When: Noon – 4 p.m. on each of the following dates:
Where: Liliʻuokalani Trust – Kīpuka Kauaʻi
4530 Kali Road, Līhuʻe, HI 96766
For more information on the safeTalk series, contact the OHA Kauaʻi Office:
Kaliko Santos, Community Outreach Coordinator
Phone: (808) 241-3390
E-mail: dkalikos@oha.org
