|
VISTA, Calif. — “To Save a Live,” a groundbreaking Christian-themed film which has impacted more than 600,000 people since its January release, will widen its reach in September with a series of resources that it will be launched in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week.
The film earned accolades from Christian leaders nationwide for its gritty portrayal of dark subjects confronted by teens, including depression, suicide, teen pregnancy, cutting, substance abuse and body image.
“It’s difficult to be a teenager, to be a young adult, and it hasn’t gotten any easier in the past 10 years,” said Todd Hafer, a Kansas-based author and expert on teen issues.
Hafer was part of a team of Christian leaders who created devotionals using the film as its starting point.
“They do a really good job,” he said of the filmmakers, adding that they took care in creating characters that teens could relate to on an emotional level. “It puts a story to it, something that can be a very non-threatening way to broach the subject. The way it was presented was very true to life, not like a fantasy the way Christian media sometimes is presented, not lecture.”
According to a 2009 fact sheet by the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24 for 2006, the most recent figures available. Even children 10 to 14 are not immune, with 1.3 suicides per 100,000 in that age group reported.
Hafer warned that Christian children are also at risk, sometimes high risk because of a variety of pressures, including increased pressure to perform a certain way, the fact that the parents of Christian teens are often friends who travel in the same circle, and the typical teen desire to be cool.
“Sometime the pressure is even deeper,” he said. “There is a big sense they are going to be talked about, judged behind their back.”
Even teens who have a good relationship with their parents and who are open to discussing school-related issues with them can struggle with more personal issues such as sexual identity, substance abuse, depression, counseling and other taboo subjects. Teens also have an inherent desire to want to protect their parents, as well.
“They can develop this idea that “this is my deepest, darkest secret; this is a no-parent zone,” he said. “The reality of being open, of being vulnerable, it’s really, really tough.”
Valuable resources
The DVD version of To Save a Life will be released Aug. 4, a month ahead of the Sept. 6 to 12 “To Save a Life Week, which runs parallel with National Suicide Prevention Week. It also coincides with the start of school, which can be a traumatic time for teens already under duress. Those associated with the film plan to use it to “inspire teens to reach out to their communities and engage with the hurting and lonely in their midst.” Other resources will be available in the coming weeks.
Ministry teams at Outreach Films and Outreach Publishing, both based in Vista, have set an objective of seeing one million lives touched during the week through the hosting of To Save a Life events and movie screenings across America. The goal is to have the film shown in more than 10,000 locations, where every teen in America can see the movie either in a home, church, store, classroom, auditorium or theater.
Minister and listen
Youth leaders are then being encouraged to help develop ongoing ministries to reach teens, including helping them to start a “Lunch Club” to help befriend the lonely kids in their school. Some may start actively inviting new people to their youth group or club meetings. Others may plan events with experts or mentors who can help teens navigate the challenges in their lives.
“To Save a Life Week can help ease some of these tensions while providing a solid message of hope for those who are hurting,” the event literature said.
Hafer said he encourages parents and youth leaders to take advantage of the resources Outreach has created, plus invest time with their ears.
“It’s so key to listen to these teens,” Hafer said. “Adults keep wanting to get in their faces and hit them with the message, hit them with the message, hit them with the message, but they’re not even listening.”
For more information on the campaign, visit www.tosavealifeleaders.com.
|
