Teen Suicide Rate on the Rise

The recent suicide of 17-year-old Dan Behar has once again put a spotlight on teen suicide. And there is one question raised again and again: What is happening among the youth?

"There are lots and lots of questions we will never have answers to," said Richard Lieberman, a psychologist for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "It's complex."

Lieberman was among the founders of the suicide prevention services within the LAUSD nearly 25 years ago. The services began when the number of suicides tripled in the 1980s and became the third leading cause of death for high school kids in the United States.

For youths between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide continues to be the third leading cause of death, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 4,400 youths take their lives each year

Between 1994 and 2003, there was an average of 26 youths each year who died in Los Angeles County as a result of suicide, Lieberman said. The average declined to 13 per year between 2004 to 2009, he said.

"It is such a hard topic to talk about and very often parents don't wish to discuss it as a suicide," Lieberman said. "There are no predictors of youth suicide."

Read more here

Myths About Relationship Violence

As we continue our month long discussion on relationship violence during Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, we continue to take a look at some more common myths about relationship violence. Relationships are complicated, but there are certain red flags that we should all be on the look out for that lets us know when we find ourselves in a relationship that is unhealthy for us.

IF He/She Hurts Me I Retaliate so I’m Not Being Abused. We’re Just Fighting: NOT TRUE

Domestic violence is when someone hurts you physically, verbally, mentally, financially, or sexually.

You should never have to defend yourself against someone you love or someone who claims to love you.

He/She is Giving Me A Good Life. I’d be a Fool to Give it Up: NOT TRUE

No life full of pain and fear is a good one, no matter how it may appear to others. You should never have to get used to being abused. You should never suffer in silence over material items when there are places like the Jenesse Center that has everything you need to start a new life.

Watching Amy's Story

Last night I watched an intriguing documentary called Telling Amy’s Story. It involves a woman who was murdered by her abusive husband from a prolonging physical and emotional relationship. As I watched the movie, I had an entity of mixed emotions since I am versed in the signs of domestic violence. It was difficult for me to understand why no one assisted Amy along the way. The most frustrating part is that I couldn’t help her and that I just had to sit there to witness the ending results. After a discussion about it with friends and having a night to sleep on it, I have a better understating of the documentary. I was able to take two steps back and visualize myself as the victim or a friend of Amy’s the documentary as a whole is very good and I took a lot away from it.  There are new signs that I learned about that I would’ve never been able to notify; I would’ve thought that it was just young love. I think everyone should see this documentary because it is a good learning tool to learn about signs of domestic violence and a lesson to my generation about making a “happy ending” in such a torturous, series of unfortunate events. MUST SEE GO WATCH NOW!!!

 Thanks,

Jordan Ferguson

To learn more about Telling Amy's Story visit the official website.

Using My Voice for Change

Jenesse Center Youth Leader Bryson Rouzan-Thomas and his group The Change will be hosting their second annual Youth Conversations in collaboration with Jenesse Center's BeSo You! program. Below Bryson talks about his experience with Jenesse in his own words.

A couple weeks ago, I had a chance to volunteer at Jenesse's third annual 'Camp Jenesse', a summer camp that I co-founded with Ariel Gilliam and Angela Parker in the summer of 2009. Angela Parker has done a fascinating job in promoting the camp and enriching the goal/purpose of why it was founded; creating the "summer of a lifetime" for the Jenesse children. My day of service had a theme which involved incorporating music and helping children find "the art within them". Unbeknownst to me, something so little affected me so greatly. Sitting watching the kids play "Dance Freeze", listening to Katy Perry's "Firework", everything came together. 

"You don't have to feel like a waste of space

You're original, cannot be replaced

If you only knew what the future holds

After a hurricane comes a rainbow

 Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed

So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow

And when it's time, you'll know"

It seems so cliché, yet when you think about it, the message of being yourself and boosting your confidence fits so perfectly. The idea of igniting the light within you and showing the world who are you are and what your capabilities consist of. I write this email out of inspiration. I have been inspired to do good within my community which is why I strive to be the best role model I can be whether I am around my peers, Jenesse families, or even strangers. Each person has the ability to give back; to use their voice for "the greater good". I use my voice to be an agent of change for my generation. The greatest reward I have received is the ability to see the hearts that have been touched because of the precious time donated to acknowledge the spark in each child; to prove that someone really is listening.

I even had the chance to sit down with "The Change" last week and view "Telling Amy's Story"; a documentary about Amy, a former Verizon employee who lost her life due to an emotionally and physically abusive husband (this will be shown at our upcoming Youth Conversations 2011). Originally, I did not think that the group would be interested in the movie, however, I saw an array of emotions that followed with an abundance of questions and an extended conversation. This proved that the time to "break the silence" is over. Our generation is ready. Are you?

I use my voice to help our next generation identify their qualities and to embrace their weaknesses. I am the change. I am hope. So are you.

Truly Yours,

Bryson Rouzan-Thomas


The George Washington University '15
The Change Executive Director
Youth Conversations Chair