Advocate With L&F

Advocate. /ˈadvəkət/ (noun)  A person who supports and speaks up on behalf of a specific cause or group of people.

  What does it mean to advocate with Lost&Found?

It means advocating for the needs of people impacted by mental health conditions and suicide – using your voice and your skills to support those experiencing or at risk for mental health conditions or those who are affected by suicide ideation, attempt, or loss.

When we do this, we can ensure that individuals with mental health conditions receive appropriate care, create interventions where suicide risk is high, and support systems that make it easier for the general population to access mental health resources.

There is no single way to be an advocate, but all of us can advocate for better mental health and suicide prevention. And it will take all of us to make a world without suicide a reality.

What is a mental health advocate?

Mental health advocates are people who focus their support on helping individuals with mental health conditions of all varieties and levels of severity, along with their immediate support networks: families, friends, employers, and peers.

Mental health advocacy is considered one of the World Health Organization’s eleven areas of action because of how much it benefits people who experience mental health disorders or impacts from suicide, along with their families and immediate support networks. Advocates take action in a variety of ways, from raising awareness to educating communities to providing or seeking training.

Mental health advocates can be considered “heroes without capes,” working in their communities to share stories, take action, and help those struggling to advance the cause of mental health care and suicide prevention.

Learn more about mental health advocacy from PsychCentral >>>

How do I become an advocate for better mental health and suicide prevention?

Becoming a mental health and suicide prevention advocate starts with understanding what mental health and suicide are and how they affect individuals, groups, and communities. By learning about the experiences of people and the communities they are a part of, we can collectively come to understand how mental health conditions and suicide affect us–and how we can take action to prevent those negative effects.

When we understand what prevention looks like, we can use our voice and amplify the voices of others to make a difference. Mental health advocacy can look like:

• Sharing your (or your friend’s, family’s, peer’s, etc.) experience with mental health conditions or impacts from suicide risk, ideation, attempt, or loss
• Researching topics of mental health or suicide and sharing those findings with others
• Completing a training session for yourself and/or others that applies best practices for mental health crisis intervention or suicide prevention
• Showing your support in a public way, whether through a blog, social media post, volunteering opportunity, or event
• Seeking to influence a policy through educational materials, research, or lived experience
• Developing a program or strategy that provides visibility to mental health needs or suicide risk

There is no single way to advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. Your advocacy is as unique as you are, and your skills and voice are needed. Any person of any ability can be a mental health advocate.

How can I advocate with Lost&Found?

There are many ways you can join Lost&Found’s efforts to end suicide for young adults (15-34). Getting started is as simple as a click and can grow to fit your interests, skills, and passion for supporting people experiencing mental health conditions or impacts from suicide.

Here’s a few ways you can get started:

• Share Your Story: Read about the experiences of community members impacted by mental health conditions and suicide and how they discovered resources that helped them navigate their journey. The world needs your story–we’re ready to help you share it.
• Learn About Prevention: When we understand what suicide prevention is, we’re much more likely to be able to speak about it and take action when the need arises. Get to know our approach to suicide prevention and how you can be a part of it.
• Volunteer with L&F: Lost&Found was formed in 2010 by a group of student volunteers who wanted to do more to prevent suicide for young adults. That same spirit guides our work today, and we’re always looking for that same passion and drive in volunteers. Join our volunteer team today!
• Find a Resource: Conversations about mental health and suicide often happen with those we trust most, but we may not always know how to best help someone. Use our Resources page as a guide to find resources that may be helpful for yourself or someone you care about.

The journey of becoming an advocate for better mental health and suicide prevention takes many forms. No matter what advocacy looks like for you, it takes all of us to make a difference. We all have a role to play.