The Jason Foundation is a U.S. organization that provides curriculum materials to schools, parents, and teens about how teen suicide can be preventable. The Jason Foundation also aims to increase awareness of teensuicide. The organization was started in 1997, after the suicide of Jason Flatt, a 16-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee.
History
Jason's father, Clark Flatt, wrote a letter to anyone interested in learning about how to help combat youth suicide. In the letter, Clark explains that Jason was a normal 16-year-old boy who enjoyed being with his friends, playing sports and was a B-average student. On July 16, 1997, Jason killed himself. After Jason's death, his father began researching youth suicide, with the intention of finding effective methods of suicide prevention. The Jason Foundation was created to help stop teenage suicide and spread awareness about the issue.
"LIFE" System
The Jason Foundation has created a system to help prevent another person from taking their life. One part of this is the use of their "LIFE" model, which is an anagram for: • Listen to your friends when they need totalk about problems or thoughts of suicide • Insist that they be honest with you • Feelings—share them with each other • Extend a helping hand and go with them to get a responsible adult involved to help This method's purpose was to approach an endangered teen in a non-threatening way about the teen's actions or thoughts. The Jason Foundation stresses that if someone knows about their friend thinking about suicide to never keep it to oneself, and to communicate the problem to a parent, a school guidance counselor, or a teacher about what was heard.
Encouragement to Parents
The Jason Foundation's belief is that there are effective ways for a parent to help a child not become another victim of youth suicide. They promote the idea of educating oneself about the problem and the signs of concern, and the tools that can be used for suicide prevention. They encourage parents to approach school systems to incorporate The Jason Foundation's ideals and methods. They also say that watching and listening to children is a large part in helping awareness of potential problems that may eventually lead to self-harm. They believe that parents who talk to their child and allow their child to express their feelings are better equipped to help with the development of healthy coping mechanisms, while also maintaining the fact that their child can always seek professional help.
Educational Programs
The Jason Foundation has created a school-based curriculum unit of study suitable for grades 7 through 12. It is set up to be used as a stand-alone program or as an objective within another topic like health and wellness. The students are given information about the problem of youth suicide and strategies to recognize and help a friend who may be at risk. The underlying lesson is that a responsible adult must be told of the concerns so that appropriate help can be found.
At the end of their education about The Jason Foundation, the learner is presented with a card. This card is a promise, and on the card there is a small paragraph stating "I promise to be here for my friends. I will watch for any behavior that concerns me and I will TALK, LISTEN and RESPOND using the LIFE model. I won’t be silent.", followed by an entry for which a student then signs their name. The card also has the "LIFE" method on warning signs and how they can help. The warning signs are:
